Bad Things: Some Quality Time
by BregoBeauty
Summary: Sequel to Day to Day -- Every family has their secrets... but some are more deadly than others.
1. Prologue

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** (Sequel to _Day-to-Day_) Kyra Rippner learned how fragile life was at an early age. Now at seventeen, she is determined to strike out on her own, despite her father's misgivings. But the danger her parents faced with she was infant and that she faced two years earlier is far from over. Someone is hunting her…someone dead set on revenge.

**Prologue**

_March 10th, 2025_

_Everyone always tells me how much I look my father. When I was younger, I never minded looking like my father, but now…things are different. I want to be an individual. I'm sick of being a Rippner—I'm sick of being my father's shadow._

_My mother, in her delusional pregnant state, gave me the unfortunate name of Jack Rippner. My full name is Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner—talk about a mouthful—but to my family, I'm simply known as Jack. At school, I had to change it Kyra to avoid the taunts that come with my name._

_I used to be proud of my name and how my father seemed closer to me because of it. Myra and mum are close, but my father and I were closer. We had an understanding that no one else understood…_

_…that was until he watched me cold-bloodedly murder a man with a knife._

_Two years ago, when Jack was no longer a name whispered in hiding, when we finally became the Rippners once more, my world turned upside down. Since then, my father has drawn away from me and back into his work. He had stopped working when I was five months old and now he's returned to the business that he swore he'd quit to protect us. As far as he is concerned, anyone who wished to harm us died on that day._

_I think he's wrong. He wasn't there when I heard the threat. I know it's only a matter of time before someone comes looking for us again, especially since we are no longer hiding. _

_It's the calm before the storm—soon things will change. I know he knows it too, but he's determined that no one will try again. He wants to believe that we defeated our demons that day._

_But I know better. We still have our own inner demons to battle. Killing is in our blood and the impulses grow stronger each day. I know why he had his job. I know because no matter how hard I try, I'm just like him._

_I'm a killer too._

**Author's Notes:**

I have toying around with ideas for several months. I wanted to do another story with Kyra, who was one of my favorite characters, and finally the plot popped into my head on the bus Monday morning. So here's the sequel to _Day-to-Day_! Enjoy!


	2. Chapter One

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter One**

"Jack?" called Myra, knocking on the open door between their bedrooms. Her red-brown hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and she was covered in multi-colored flecks of paint from the top of her head to her bare feet.

Kyra looked up from her neatly made bed. She had been lying on her stomach while she recorded her thoughts in a leather-bound journal she had received earlier in the day from her mother. Both of her parents had once done the same thing—before she was born and before they had to run.

"Yeah?" she asked, disinterest showing through her tone of voice.

"Dad wants to see you." Myra flopped down in the plush chair seated in the corner.

"What's he want now?" Kyra questioned, scowling.

"I don't know. He just sent me up to get you."

Kyra slammed her journal shut and tucked it away in the hiding place under her bed. A combination lock secured her private thoughts and she stalked out of the half-decorated room. In two years, she still had yet to finish moving in.

She headed down the circular stairwell to the tiled entry hall. Her father had spent an obscene amount of money on a mansion when they had stopped moving around. He had also purchases an expensive second home in Ireland. Kyra and Myra had grown up in both Ireland and England, even though Kyra had been more in the States as had both their parents.

Kyra walked down a side hall to where her father's office was located. She knocked loudly on the heavy wooden door and glanced up at the security cameras for a brief moment.

"It's Jack," she announced, speaking into the intercom.

Jackson Rippner was a notorious security freak. Even in his own home, he was suspicious and edgy. She had grown used to his quirks over the years and even developed some of her own. Mainly, the one revolving around the knife strapped to her ankle.

Her father unlocked the door, his blue eyes scanning the hall before allowing her in. Kyra resisted the urge to roll her own crystalline eyes back. Even after nearly twenty years, he still looked the same as he had when he first met Lisa. His dark brown hair was cropped a little shorter, but Jackson was still an imposing man despite his lanky figure.

"Myra said you wanted to see me," she stated impatiently.

"Yes, yes I do. Sit down, Jack."

She sat down in one of the leather chairs in his dark office and stretched her long legs out in front of her as he moved to go behind his desk. He shot her a dark look when he tripped over her.

_Rippner Family Rule #1: Never anger Jackson…_ she mentally recited without caring. She had broken all the rules at one point or another in her life.

"Lisa told me that you wanted to return to the States," he said sourly.

"Yeah? So?"

"You know _exactly_ how I feel about that place."

"That's why I'd be going alone," she stated simply, crossing her slender and pale arms across her stomach. "I'm not asking for anyone to come with me."

"Jack, in the States, there are people who hunt people like us. None of us can ever go back there. It's not safe."

Kyra scoffed. "Right, like it's really any safer hiding in Europe. Give me a break…"

"Would I lie to you?"

_Rippner Family Rule #2: Never tell a lie…_

"No."

"Good. Now I have a gift for you." He stood up and picked up an elegantly wrapped gift from behind his desk. "Happy seventeenth birthday, Jack."

She hesitated momentarily after he placed the package in her lap. Kyra looked up at her father and he nodded eagerly. Slowly, every movement deliberate, she untied the bow, then started unwrapping the rectangular-shaped gift.

"I hope you'll like it."

As she tore the last of wrapping paper free, she stared at a wooden box with a plaque with her initials engraved upon it. She lifted the latches and raised the lid. Nestled inside the box, on soft folds of black velvet, was a shinning knife and a sheath as well as a brand-new handgun with bullets.

Shocked, Kyra looked at her father questioningly.

"Surely your blade must be growing dull and it's about you carried a gun. Legal or not, I don't care. I won't have you being hurt. I know you can use them both."

"You didn't—"

"Just don't tell your mother. You know how she feels about weapons."

She nodded. Her father had trained both her and Myra in self-defense starting at a young age and they were both proficient with weapons. Like her father, Kyra favored a well-made, sharp blade, but she was a decent shot with a gun. Myra had never cared much for weaponry, while she had soaked up all the knowledge her father had offered like a sponge.

Lisa, however, abhorred guns, knives, and all weapons. She had placed a weapons ban on all members of the household, yet both Kyra and her father walked around armed at all times. She understood that her mother had suffered at the hands of the same people her father had once worked for, but she was not about to become a victim because of her mother's fears.

"Thanks, dad," she croaked, her voice cracking. Like Jackson, she had a hard time expressing emotions, whereas her mother and sister always had hugs to spare.

"You're welcome," he said, nodding his head. "Now you'd better go hide them before Lisa finds out."

Sharing a conspiratory wink with her father, Kyra slipped out of the office. Once the door shut behind her, her anger returned. She knew that he was manipulating her, trying to bribe her into giving up her dreams, and she hated it. There was essentially nothing that she could do to stop him.

Kyra appreciated the gift, but she was once more dismayed by his stubborn refusal to allow her to travel. She had every intention of attending college in the States and not even her powerful father could stop her. In one year, she would legally be an adult and no longer have to listen to him and his rules.

_Rippner Family Rule #3: Never abandon the family…_

**Author's Notes:**

I actually managed to write and update back-to-back. Amazing. Anyways, enjoy this chapter and major thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed!


	3. Chapter Two

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Two**

_You never change do you? You are always trying to buy my allegiance… Before that mess, spending time with me was enough. Now you keep trying to cling to me using manipulation…_

Kyra sighed. Her family was far from perfect but the bond she had once shared with her father used to be enough. But something inside Jackson had snapped that day and ever since, he had shut off their link and been uncharacteristically cold to her.

Her mother was the only person he showered affection on now. Of course, Lisa was not afraid to put him back in his place with a few well-chosen words or well-aimed hits. Still, the love between her parents was impossible to deny.

Myra was her mother's favorite and it made sense because they were kindred spirits obsessed with helping people whereas Kyra and Jackson had always been focused on protecting themselves and their family. It was no secret that she had once been her father's favorite, but time had changed and now he avoid both of his daughters and cherished his plans inside his office.

Jackson had never been cut out to be a father, and it was only by protecting her that he became attached at first.

_Mum knew it too, that's why she kept me a secret…_

She knew the story surrounding her birth very well. Lisa had confided in her shortly before she turned fourteen.

Kyra and Myra had once had an older sibling, but Jackson could not allow his lover to be pregnant with his child. He had told Lisa to get rid of the baby, and when she refused, he had shoved her down the steep flight of stairs leading up to her apartment. Lisa had lost the baby and Jackson had sulked away from her for several months.

When she had discovered that she was pregnant with Kyra, Lisa had hidden the news from Jackson. They had quarreled and Lisa essentially told him to leave her alone and die. When almost a year past without any sign or news of Jackson, her despondent mother had been convinced her father was dead.

But five months after her birth, her father had waltzed back into their lives and nine months later Myra was born. Since then, her parents had been extra careful to not have any more children while they hid from the men out to kill them.

_He never wanted either of us. All he wanted was mum and he ended up stuck with us,_ Kyra thought sourly.

Yanking a dark-colored duffle bag out from underneath her bed, Kyra slipped her birthday gift safely inside. Her father did not know of her escape plan and that he was essentially helping her escape with his extravagant gifts and by fueling her hatred for him.

Buried inside her bag was several thousand dollars that she had been accumulating for years. Jackson had often given her large sums of money to use on clothes, books, whatever she wished for. She always spent a little to throw off suspicions (mainly by buying sale items without his knowledge instead of pricier ones).

She was armed and had enough money to hide from her father for several years if she spent wisely and got a job while running. He had unknowingly been training her to survive after all those years spent on the run.

Kyra was ready to flee—to start her own life.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

A few days later, Kyra waited for her entire family to head off to bed. Jackson had been pulled from his office by Lisa and they had both stumbled to their room. Usually, Jackson was up the latest and the least likely to fall asleep at a decent hour.

Instead, it was Myra who was problematic. She did not want to leave Kyra alone. It was almost as if her younger sister—her almost twin—could sense that she was going to run. She invited herself to hang out in Kyra's room and lingered for several hours. When Myra finally drifted off to sleep in the corner chair, Kyra slipped out of bed, quietly dressed, grabbed her duffle and headed for the front door.

She disarmed and rearmed the security system as she slipped out the house and front gate. She could not risk stealing a car. She walked half a mile down the road in the dark with a gun on her hip and a knife sheathed on her ankle before she called a cab to take her to Heathrow Airport.

From there, she booked and paid for a flight to the States. Her plane would land in Newark, New Jersey and she was would travel onward from there. Using false identification from years of running, she assumed another identity and also checked her weapons into a specialized section of the plane with false documentation similar to what her father used on trips.

Several hours later, she was flying over the ocean to a world she had spent the past few years dreaming about.

_So far so good…_ she sighed; relieved at her easy escape.

**Author's Notes:**

Well, I finally got around to updating this story. Sorry for the long wait between updates. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	4. Chapter Three

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Three**

_"No…NO! Help, someone! Dad—daddy! Please!" screamed Kyra, tears falling from her vibrant blue eyes as the cold metal kissed her temple._

_BANG._

Jackson Rippner bolted awake, drenched in sweat and jostling his sleeping wife. Lisa mumbled and rolled closer towards him. She reached for him in her sleep; her silky curls caressing his skin as she pulled herself towards him in search of warmth.

She whimpered as she laid her head on his chest. Jackson stroked her hair for a few moments and whispered soothing murmurs in her ears.

Once Lisa was safely asleep, he slowly slipped out from under the covers and away from her. She slept on—blissfully unaware of his growing panic.

_Jack… my sweet little girl. Baby Jack…_

Even after seventeen years, she was still the tiny baby he had saved from certain death at the hands of Max Ryder. He had watched her, his seemingly innocent Jack, brutally murder another man in defense of her own life and to save her family. He had watched her grow up into a cool, yet charming young woman with a defiant attitude not unlike his own.

The parallels between father and daughter were unmistakable, but it was Jackson's haunted past that had shaped him for the worse. His dark past had determined his future.

_But not Jack's—she won't ever be like me. I swore that I'd never let her become a killer._

Jackson carefully picked up a knife from a hiding place in the master bedroom and quietly padded down the hall. Something was amiss inside his house and he could feel it. His dream about Jack had been unsettling as well.

_You're being paranoid, Rippner,_ his logical mind shrieked at him.

He sung open Jack's bedroom door without a sound and peered in, knife first. Satisfied that no one was waiting for him inside with a weapon held on his beloved daughter, Jackson entered.

Myra was sprawled in a comfortable chair in the corner with a blanket casually tossed over her sleeping form. He smiled at slightly, memories of watching Lisa sleep coming to the surface. Myra really was a carbon copy of her mother; right down to the kinky curls and clinginess in sleep—her fingers were tightly gripping the blanket as she rested.

He turned his blue-eyed gaze towards the bed and frowned at the well-made covers. Everything was neat as pin and his oldest child was nowhere in sight.

Jackson headed into the joined bedroom where Myra was supposed to be. There was still no sign of Jack.

_Jack, this isn't funny any more. Where are you?_

He crept throughout the rest of the house—checking every hiding place, every favorite spot, every dark corner—and saw no trace of Jack. Finally, he hastened into his office and searched the camera feeds for any sign of her on the grounds.

There was not as much as a footprint.

Dread climbed into his stomach. _Is it possible that after all these years, someone's found her? That I missed someone?_

Jackson raced back up the steps two at a time and burst into Jack's darkened room. Only an eerie sliver of moonlight shone through a crack in the blinds, illuminating a piece of the carpet that he scoured for blood or signs of a struggle.

"Where is she?" he demanded, shaking Myra forcefully to rouse her from her deep sleep. The knife was still tightly gripped in his hand.

"Who?" muttered Myra drowsily.

"Jack—where is Jack, Myra?"

"Jack's sleepin'…" slurred his younger daughter. "Go 'way…"

"No, she's not. Where is she?"

"Sleepin'."

Myra turned away from him closed her green eyes. He growled, but it was useless. She was convinced that her older sister was asleep as well, and she was essentially right. Jack _should_ have been asleep.

_Damnit, I wish she was. I wish I was just a paranoid, over-protective father. But I'm far from it and Lisa would hand me my ass if anything happened to either of them. Plus, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to Jack… not after everything I've done to save her._

He scanned the room again and noticed a corner of her bedspread was askew, unlike the rest of the pain-stakingly neat bed. He dropped down to the rug and glanced underneath the bed.

Jackson was faced with an open locker-safe type container that was empty except for a few loose scraps of paper. He carried pick them up and examined them. The pages appeared to be from a journal and the handwriting was oddly familiar.

"Jackson?" a weary voice called from the doorframe and he spun around, knife out, to face a tousle-haired Lisa wearing a short silky robe. She was leaning heavily on the doorframe; her eyelids heavy with sleep.

"You should be sleeping," he responded quietly, slipping across the room to his wife, the papers in his hand, and the knife left hidden under the bed.

"So should you."

"Ssh, Leese. What do you say we go back to bed, hmm?"

He cupped her chin in one hand and grazed her lower back with the other; papers still held in his hand. Lisa did not appear to notice the brush against her back in addition to his hand and moaned softly.

"Yes."

"Good girl," he said, supporting her tired body down the hall to their bed. He shoved the loose papers by his side of the bed, on the floor, and tucked his half-asleep wife back under the covers. She snuggled back up to him and he held her close while his mind wandered.

_I won't alarm Lisa… it's probably nothing. She's probably walking around the house and we kept missing each other. No one broke in…_

But he could not account for the empty safe and the sheaf of papers.

_I'll deal with it in the morning. It's just paranoia. She's wandering around somewhere—unable to sleep… nothing more…_

Semi-reassured, Jackson fell into a troubled sleep until shortly after dawn.

**Author's Notes:**

I just love writing Jackson's character. Honestly. Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out, but the good news is that I'm only working on this story and _People Pleaser_ now. Hopefully it won't take too long to finish this story up. But I'm in the middle of exams, so I'm not making any promises.

Thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy this chapter!


	5. Chapter Four

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Four**

Kyra stood in a semi-busy airport gift shop. She had a few promising sounding paperback thrillers in her hand as well as a map. She had been standing in the airport in Newark, New Jersey for almost two hours now as she tried to decide on a final destination. Once she arrived at the next airport, she would have to find a small town or small city to hide out in. She was doing her best to cover up her tracks—fake ids, cash payments, and the like—and escape the coming wrath of her father.

It was only a matter of time before Jackson Rippner tracked her to the States. Hopefully, she would be settled by then, living under an alias, and enjoying her new life.

_But he'll never stop—he won't stop hunting me until he catches me…_

Kyra refocused on the map in her hands. The West Coast was too predictable and she had never been a fan of warm weather. Growing up in a northern climate had given her a high tolerance for cold weather and low tolerance for heat. Florida—where she had been born—was also predictable and too warm.

_Somewhere nearby, yet not too close…_

Maryland, a few states to the south, yet far enough in the north that the climate would be to her liking.

She replaced the map and quickly paid for her books before rushing to a ticket counter. Kyra Rippner was heading to Maryland, where a new life, free of her father's near-tyrannical rule, would begin.

* * *

Jackson rose with the sun and reached for the papers he had abandoned the night before beside his bed. The loose stack was well-worn and the corners of some crumbling in age. He picked up the first one and began to read the handwritten entry.

_I feel so lost without him here. I never meant to send him away, but I had to protect our child. I can't let Jackson kill her—not this time. She will live, even if I have to sacrifice myself to protect her…_

He swallowed hard and shuffled the paper to the bottom of the stack. Back then, he would have easily harmed Lisa once more to protect her and kill his own child in the process. The child that was his favorite daughter; his Jack.

_Jack knows. She knows what happened…_ he thought uneasily.

Jackson turned his eyes to the next page.

_He came back to me. Jackson came back! He was shocked to meet Jack, but she's already warmed his heart. He can't resist her charms._

_They look so much alike—my baby Jack and her father. Watching the two of them together is a strange experience. All I can do is hope and pray that he'll keep her safe. I won't let her end up like him…_

He averted his eyes and glanced over at Lisa's sleeping form. He was invading her private thoughts, but their daughter had already done that. Jack had already read the papers. She already knew what had transpired when she was an infant.

Jackson had been completely taken by surprise when Lisa had opened the door to her apartment that night with a dark-haired baby in her arms. He had immediately assumed that the child she held belonged to someone else, but once he had taken Jack in his arms, he had known he was holding his daughter.

His precious daughter that had immediately taken to him and he to her. He had nearly caused her death that same night. Max Ryder had come to pay a visit to Lisa and Jack, but he had stepped into the fray. He had kept Lisa's nightmare from coming true.

_I had a horrible dream last night. In it, I was murdered, but not quite. Jackson and Jack were separated and she grew up with Joe. But my Jackson, my love, believed I was dead and disappeared for years. _

_I killed my own father to set up a trap for Jackson. My other daughter, Myra, was working with me and I shot Jack. I shot her and Jackson._

_Jackson was prepared though and he didn't die. He was heartbroken when he saw Jack lying there on the pavement, bleeding to death because of me. He attacked me and even in his grief-induced madness began to piece together the complex puzzle._

_But by the time we were all reunited, the same group who had hired me to kill my own family had come for us. I watched them all fall—Myra first, then my brave and wounded Jack, and my beloved Jackson. Then my own life slipped away…_

_All because of Jackson and his job. It was a grudge that led to my kidnapping and torture and all of our deaths…_

Tears were forming in his ice-cold eyes. He could remember Lisa weeping when she woke from the throes of a nightmare. She had begged and pleaded for him to stay with her; to protect her and Jack at any cost. He had complied, but she had never confided in him about what she had actually seen.

On the next page, the handwriting changed to a messy scrawl that he recognized as Jack's penmanship. Intrigued, he began to decipher his daughter's innermost thoughts.

_He hates me. He doesn't even need to say it. He never needs to say anything—not that he does anymore. He only speaks to me when mum forces him to._

_Why did killing a man affect him so much? We used to have an understanding, but now—now it's like I don't even exist. Why did it change? He kills people for a living. I thought he'd understand._

_After all, we are the same type of person and killing's in our blood… _

Jackson hurried down the hallway into Jack's bedroom. Her bed was still neatly arranged and showed no sign of having been slept in. Wherever she was, Jack was not in her room.

_Don't upset Lisa_, he reminded himself. She had been rather testy lately and easily upset. It was relatively easy to forget how volatile his wife could be at times.

Tiptoeing barefoot through his silent house, Jackson slipped back into his office and pulled up the security log on his computer. The security system that protected them was one of his own design and very much under his control. Unfortunately, it confirmed his worst fear.

The last deactivate/activate had taken place around midnight, shortly before he had woken up from a nightmare. The system recognized the person as a Jack K. Rippner—his missing daughter.

**Author's Notes:**

I thought it would be interesting to play on Jackson's curiosity at first, before causing him to flip out. In the next chapter, Kyra will begin to get settled in and Jackson will having a bit of a freak out and Lisa will become alarmed.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	6. Chapter Five

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Five**

"Lisa… Leese, wake up!" Jackson whispered urgently; gently shaking his sleeping wife. Lisa moaned and shifted away from his touch.

"Damnit, Lisa! Wake up!"

She pulled a pillow over her ears to drown him out and Jackson uttered a few curse words under his breath. He then snatched the pillow away and scooped her up and off the bed. She protested mildly, but sleep-filled limbs were no match for his determination.

He set her down carefully in the shower and turned on the cold water; drenching them both. Lisa shook and her teeth chattered while Jackson smirked. _Nothing like a cold shower to wake up, huh?_

"You look like a wet dog," she muttered once the drowsiness had worn off. "You smell like one too."

He snorted and turned off the water. "Are we awake now?"

"Do you want to smother you with a pillow now? Yes, I'd love to."

"Your sense of humor never changes does it?" He lifted her chin with his index finger and gave her a quick kiss.

"It's too early in the day."

"Aw, you're hurting my feelings, Leese."

"You need to get a life."

"I would, except your brilliant daughter decided to run away in the middle of the night."

"What? Myra ran away—?" Lisa slipped in her rush to stand up in the soaked shower. Jackson quickly steadied her by grabbing her arm.

"Nope. Jack did." He helped her carefully back to her feet; their wet clothes clinging to their skin. He grabbed two thick towels from a bar and draped Lisa in one.

"When?"

He sighed as they returned to their bedroom. Lisa sat on the bed shaking as he grabbed dry clothes for them both from the closet. They quickly changed and Jackson wrapped his arms around her as she still shook from the cold shower.

"Around midnight. She left these hidden in her room." Jackson handed her the notes that he had found in Kyra's room.

Lisa looked at him quizzically and cautiously took the paper he offered. It was written in Jack's handwriting. She gasped at the contents in horror.

"It—no…" she whispered softly.

Jackson shifted closer and pulled her towards his chest in an attempt to soothe her. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ears to calm her down.

"Jackson, what are we going to do? Where could she have gone?"

"'We' do nothing. I'm going to track her down."

"No, I'm not staying behind while you go off on an adventure! She's my daughter too!" Lisa shoved his chest to disentangle them and climbed off the bed.

Amused, Jackson watched her pace the floor from his reclined position on their unmade bed. "Planning on digging a hole to China through the floor, Leese?" he teased.

She tossed a balled-up sock at his dark-haired head for his smart remark. He ducked and laughed. "Somehow, I don't think throwing socks is going to bring Jack back."

"Then what are we going to do? Huh?"

He pushed himself off the bed and slowly walked towards her. "I'm going to find her. It's my fault that she's missing."

"Damn right it's your fault!" she hissed, then shoved her husband. Jackson stumbled backwards and Lisa pushed him again angrily. "If she dies—I'll never forgive you!"

He screwed up his face and slammed her petite frame into a nearby wall. The pictures hung on the wall shook and one fell to the floor; the glass shattering upon impact. "Don't you think I already know that?" he whispered bitterly; his hand clenched around her throat while his lips rested upon her ear. "This is my Jack that we're talking about."

"Get your fucking hands off me!" she screamed; thrashing about in his grasp.

He spun her around and shoved her towards the bed. She bounced on the soft covers and scrambled to move away from him. Jackson pulled her ankles and kept her from curling up into a defensive ball. She kicked at him harshly, but he still managed to end up on top of her and pinned her body to the bed.

His long hair was falling into his slightly crazed blue eyes as he panted from his position on her. She had ceased fighting and they both lay sprawled upon their bed; tangled together.

"Don't ever tell me what to do." Jackson's right hand lazily traced her damp skin. She shivered at his touch.

"Leave me alone."

"No can do. You brought this on yourself, remember?"

"Get over yourself, Jackson, and find my daughter."

"You have it all wrong, Leese. Jack's mine, remember? My little Jack… You shouldn't worry about her. I'll find her—I'll protect my baby Jack." His voice softened at mentioning his beloved daughter.

"She isn't a baby anymore. She's growing up."

"She'll always be my sweet, baby Jack. Nothing will ever change that."

Lisa shook her head. "Where did she go?"

"Home," he said quietly. "She went where she believes home is."

"How do you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "She told me she wanted to go there and I refused. I'm sure that's where she went."

"What are Myra and I supposed to do? Sit back and relax? You know as well as I do that we aren't safe when we're split up."

"I can't do anything about it. Besides, everyone's dead."

"You don't know that for a fact."

"I have my sources. You'll be safe here."

"And you and Jack will be targets. It's no secret that she's your daughter. Everyone in your entire circle knew it—not to mention you two are carbon copies of each other. She's not safe and neither are you." Lisa was close to tears. It was no hiding how much splitting up from her husband and oldest daughter hurt her. The last time she had been alone, she had almost been murdered. "I can't let you do this alone."

"Lisa," he whispered softly, cupping her chin in his hand. "Everything will be fine. You'll be safe here. I promise."

"I don't believe you."

"Don't be difficult or I'll be forced to hurt you. I have to do this on my own. If we all go together we'll attract too much attention. You forget that we still have enemies in the States. I won't lose you too."

"But you'll leave me behind? How the hell does that work?"

"It's for your own good, Leese." Jackson's face begged for an apology mere moments before he cracked his forehead and against hers and Lisa slumped backwards onto the bed.

He sat beside her for a long moment with his head buried between his hands. Losing Jack was tearing him apart and forcing him to make choices that he would rather have avoided. His logic was becoming clouded by his worry for his daughter and love for his wife. It was easier to hurt Lisa than leave Jack in danger.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, brushing a few stray curls out of her face and kissing her forehead lightly. Then he quickly packed his belongings and a few weapons and left the silent house much like Jack had several hours earlier.

**Author's Notes:**

I enjoyed writing Jackson and Lisa's relationship out a bit. It's always fun to have them digging at each other and as much as he is concerned about Jack, it pains him to leave her.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	7. Chapter Six

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Six**

_May 25th, 2025_

_It's been two months since I moved to Maryland. I now live in a semi-sleepy town known as Edgewater in the section called South River Colony. I've been warned to stay away from Woodland Beach, where drug dealers roam the streets and gun shots are not uncommon._

_So I live in a one-bedroom apartment in SRC under the name Melanie Brennan. I'm attending community college in Arnold. I have yet to declare a major, but I met a guy._

_His name is Mark Tyler and he's very nice. He's my only friend so far and he could potentially be my first boyfriend._

_If my father doesn't find me first…_

A knock sounded at Kyra's apartment door. She jumped and automatically reached for her gun. Her knife was strapped to her ankle as always and she quietly crept to the front door. Peering out through the peephole, she let out a sigh of relief and all the tense muscles in her body relaxed; her shoulders drooped and she slipped the gun into a holster on her left hip.

Kyra unfastened the chain and the two dead bolts before opening the door. She carefully positioned herself in the doorway between the door and the doorframe to block the entrance into her apartment.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a smirk she had learned from her father.

"Hey, Mel," the young man outside her door said with a friendly smile. He had semi-long hair that reminded her of her father, with the exception being that his was almost white-blonde. He had shoved his hands into his jean pockets and he casually leaned his tall, lean frame against the wall outside her apartment.

"Mark…what are you doing here?"

"You said I could stop by, remember? You gave me your address last class…see?" Mark pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and flashed the scrawled writing at her. There was no mistaking her messy cursive.

"I guess so."

"So, would you like to go grab lunch before class?"

"I…uh…" Her cheeks flushed red; embarrassed.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be too forward."

"No, no, it's not you…"

"I'm sorry. Do you have a boyfriend already or something—"

"No. It's not like that…"

"Then why are you acting strange?"

Kyra was stunned. _Why am I acting strange? You just showed up, unannounced, and expect me to go with you. You could be waiting to kill me or rape me for all I know! Yeah, I'm overreacting just a bit! _

"I don't usually go out to lunch. I prefer—"

"Come on! Live a little!" He flashed Kyra another charming smile and she sighed deeply. It was useless to argue when someone was set in their ways.

"Just give me a minute to grab my stuff."

"Good girl." A wide grin crossed his handsome features as he fingered the pocketknife he carried in his jean pocket.

* * *

Jackson Rippner strode up Joseph Reisert's front walk at a leisurely pace. Lisa's father had never bothered to move—most likely in hopes that his only child would one day return. It was doubtful that Joe even knew that Lisa had married him and about their two daughters.

He had spent over a month and a half in Miami hunting Jack. He had hoped that she had headed back to her birthplace, but so far he had no luck tracking her movements.

_You always were the clever one, Jack…_

Jackson rang the doorbell and waited; his right hand resting comfortably by his knife. The door swung open for a brief moment—only to be slammed back in his face. He threw himself forward, pushing Joe and the door back before the lock could take hold. He stood in the entrance hall; his icy gaze locked on the older man.

"Rippner," snarled Joe bitterly. "I heard you were dead."

"Nope, I'm still alive and kicking. I'm just looking for my daughter."

"And who would have your children? Surely no one in their right mind… plus why would your delinquent daughter be here?"

"Lisa would," he said with a slow, smug smirk.

"What?"

"You heard me. Lisa carried my children—she's my wife, Joe."

"No… you're lying."

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Jackson questioned smartly.

"She…she was killed seventeen years ago."

"And her body was never found and neither was her child, but all of the hit men in her apartment were dead, am I right?" He knew he was being a smartass, but Jackson did not care. He had never gotten along with Joe because of the simple fact that the first time Joe had laid eyes on him he had been yanking Lisa up by her hair; full intending to kill her.

"That was you?" Joe asked incredulously.

"I protect what's mine. No one was going to be allowed to kill Lisa or out daughter."

"Your daughter?"

"Jack…. Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner. She's about this high," he estimated with his hand, "and looks just like me. Chances are she's armed and pissed."

"You've been living here all this time and I had to think she was dead! Do you have any idea how that feels?" Joe cried angrily.

"We spent fifteen years running for our lives," Jackson said coolly; trying to maintain an even tone as he dealt with his beloved wife's father. "We raised Jack and Myra on the run in Europe and forbade them to come here. Shortly after her seventeenth birthday, Jack disappeared one night. I've been after her ever since."

"Why? Why follow her? Won't she return home?"

"Not Jack. She's too much like me. Besides, she's grown to hate me over the past two years."

"Does she kill people for a living yet, or does not happen until you hit your twenties?"

He chuckled slightly at Joe's attempt at either humor or sarcasm. Jackson did not care which one it was. "She killed one man in self-defense two years ago. We were surrounded and attacked. I tried to step in and stop her, but I was too late. I couldn't protect her."

"Why were you attacked? Was Lisa hurt?"

"We were found. All of us escaped serious injury, but I've worried about Jack since that day. I swore that I'd never let her become like me. She was my chance to do things right."

Joe nodded in agreement. "I tried my best to protect Lisa. But she still ended up with the likes of you. Sometimes you have to let go."

"I can't let go. I won't."

"Why not?"

"Because of a promise I made the first time I laid eyes on her. I swore to protect her and that no one would ever hurt her. I intend to keep that promise."

"What makes you think she's in trouble?"

Jackson flashed a quick smirk. "Myra took after Lisa and she's against violence. She'd rather be off in her own world painting. But Jack was always different. From the time she was young, she'd cling to me and follow me. She grew up learning to protect herself and being my shadow. We had an understanding, but lately she's become edgy. Then the same night she left, I had a nightmare in which she was killed right in front of me."

"But it was just a nightmare."

"I want to believe that, I do, but the fact of the matter is that Lisa had a nightmare seventeen years ago—the very night I returned and met Jack for the first time. She had a dream that she would be attacked, tortured, and murdered in front of our child because of me. I was too late to save her, but I saved Jack, only to later lead to all of our deaths because Lisa was never killed. She was brainwashed and sent to kill me and Jack. We were all murdered because of the simple fact of my past."

"Where's Lisa now? Where is my daughter?" Joe inquired nervously. "I have a hard time believing that she would willingly leave me hanging for all these years."

"She's back home in England. She's safe. I promise. If I wasn't worried about what's going on, then I'd let you call her or have you call her. But I don't know what's going on and I don't like it one bit."

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. You're a killer. How do I know that you haven't fabricated this entire story? How do I know she's even alive?"

Jackson ripped his wallet from his back pocket. He tossed it at Joe, who took the worn leather suspiciously. It was the same wallet that had been stolen from Joe twenty-five years earlier.

"Open it," the younger man ordered.

Joe did and he looked at the pictures inside an expanded amount of plastic sleeves. Jackson apparently never went anywhere without reminders of his family. The old photos of Lisa from before the red-eye were still in there as well as pictures of Lisa with a young dark-haired girl with bright blue eyes—the elusive Jack. There were pictures of Jackson and Lisa along with the young Jack and another girl that was the mirror image of Lisa. The photographs trailed the lives of the small family of four until a very recent one with two smiling faces and two scowling ones. Jackson and his daughter were paired with Lisa and their other daughter—father and daughter sharing the same pained look.

"You're not lying," Joe said quietly as he slumped down in a chair and handed Jackson back his wallet.

"No, but I sure as hell wish I was."

**Author's Notes:**

There's going to be a lot of passing time in the next few chapters and jumping around from several different points of view and points of time and locations. Hopefully it won't get too confusing.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	8. Chapter Seven

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seven**

_England_

Lisa Rippner was going insane.

For the past two months, she had been making wear marks in the floor of their mansion in England, where she was anxiously awaiting either Jackson or Kyra's return or at least a phone call. So far, she had been out of luck on both counts.

Myra had been the one to find her unconscious in the bedroom she shared with Jackson. When she had woken approximately forty minutes later, Lisa had one hell of a headache and her husband was long gone. He had not even bothered to leave her a note.

_Bastard…_ she swore angrily inside her head.

"Mum, are you okay?" Myra, her shadow these days since the disappearance of Kyra and Jackson.

"I'm fine, sweetie, really."

"You're still pissed at them, aren't you?" Myra had always been the most sensitive member of the Rippner family. While Jackson and Kyra had been hurling insults and explicatives at each other, her younger daughter had been the one curled up in a corner, shaking and with her hands firmly covered over her ears. If anyone was feeling any type of emotion, Myra would pick up on it nearly instantaneously.

Lisa shot her paint-splattered daughter a brief smile. "Yes, I guess I am. I'm going to personally wring _both_ their necks next time I see them."

"No you won't."

She sighed. Myra was right. No matter how much they irritated her, Jackson was still her husband and the love of her life and Kyra was still her daughter. The fact that they were carbon copies of each other both in looks and attitudes often had her tearing her hair out.

But deep down inside, Lisa knew that she would always forgive her wayward daughter and her equally antagonistic husband…

Even if it was only after she caught up to both of them.

"Myra, pack your bags. We're going on a trip."

* * *

_Maryland_

Night had fallen.

Kyra took a deep breath of semi-clean air as she walked slowly down the area across from her apartment building known as Main Street. Most of the small specialty shops had already closed up for the night, yet the elevator music was still blaring over a hidden sound system. Her high heels clicked loudly on the cement as she quickened her steps to catch up to Mark.

They had been "dating" since the afternoon he had appeared at her apartment, begging her to join him for lunch. Since then, they ate nearly every meal together—whether it be at the local McDonald's (a scary dive with cold food and creepy workers), at her apartment or his (they were both pretty decent cooks), or at a restaurant (like tonight)—saw each other around campus when not in class, studied together, went to movies, and did other "normal" activities like other "normal" couples their age.

Except for sex and all the touchy-feely nonsense that most people engaged in. There was no possessive hand-holding, arms around the waist or shoulder, and most certainly was there no French-kissing.

It was not that Kyra was ignorant of romance—anyone who had been around her parents long enough knew _exactly_ what lovers did and also what went on behind closed doors—but she was nervous.

Her parents' affair had nearly cost her mother both her life and sanity. It was because of her father that her entire family was in danger and the reason for her near-death at only five months old.

Not to mention that her father "loved" her mother so much that he was willing to shove her down a steep flight of steps to abort her child and potentially kill her.

_Not me—I refuse to put myself in that position…_

Besides, Mark would have to be an idiot to try and force her to do anything against her will. Even on a date, she was still armed and deadly.

Though tonight she had forgone her usual jeans or slacks in favor of a flowing, knee-length black skirt, paired with black stilettos, and a v-necked red sleeveless top made of some type of clingy fabric covered with a black blazer. The heels were a pain to walk in, but as her father could attest, heels were even more of a bitch when imbedded in someone's flesh. Her favorite knife was in her blazer pocket, sharp and awaiting action, while her gun rested in her purse.

Despite dressing up, Kyra was not about to be a victim. No one was going to hurt her and anyone who tried would thoroughly regret it.

"Hey," Mark said once they waded past the clump of smokers near the restaurant door. Kyra had been coughing and gagging on the smoke—a natural reaction for her. "You okay?"

She was touched by his concern. "I'm fine," she coughed; trying to clear her lungs.

Unbidden, his warm hand touched her back and sent chills up her spine. _Don't touch me!_

She took a few halting steps forward and away from his touch and the hand disappeared as she leaned against the brick front of a nearby shop.

Her breathing was still ragged and she was coughing again. Kyra was now bent over double at the waist and sinking towards the concrete slowly.

"Mel? Mel, are you okay?"

"Fine," she said, before experiencing another coughing fit.

"Do you have asthma? Do you need an inhaler? Do I need to call someone?"

Cough. Gasp. Cough.

"Mel, I'm gonna call an ambulance."

"Don't," she rasped, horrified at the very thought of calling attention to her condition. The last thing she needed was to be in a very public place where the chances of her identity being discovered increased. Not to mention adding a medical record to her carefully planned alias. It would not be a smart move—especially not if she planned on hanging around Maryland. Jackson would surely be checking medical records and other records to find her.

"Mel, you can't breathe. I'm calling—"

"Don't… you… dare…" she wheezed, tossing him an infamous Rippner look she had copied from her father.

Her lungs were still heaving, yet they were gradually filling with air. She still did not understand what had brought on the attack, but at least she was still alive and breathing. She had never had a medical condition, such as asthma, as far as she knew. _So what brought this on?_

"Let me help you," Mark offered, draping her left arm around his shoulder and placing his arm firmly around her back to help her to her feet and support her weight. "Lean on me, that's it…"

She flinched at his touch. _Don't touch me… don'ttouchme!_ Alarm bells were ringing in head.

Her energy was sapped and her body too weak to fight back. Besides, he was not roaming her body with his hands…he was only helping her stand.

"Do you think you can walk?"

Kyra nodded weakly. _The sooner I get home, the better I'll be._

"Okay, let's go. Slowly, slowly…"

**Author's Notes:**

Is Kyra just a bit paranoid about being touched, or is that just me? I hope her reaction to the smoke isn't too over the top, but I know that I personally get violently ill whenever I even smell smoke. I curl up in ball and start gagging and choking before I reach for an inhaler. I'm lucky to not throw up when I go near someone who's smoking.

I'm very sorry about the long pause between updates. I'm in the middle of a crisis at the moment, so I don't know how often I'll be updating, but I'm going to try to wrap this story up by the end of March; barring any major developments or complete and total writer's block. (Or exhaustion – I haven't slept much these last three days…)

Thanks so much for reading/reviewing and enjoy!


	9. Chapter Eight

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eight**

_Florida, near the border_

Jackson Rippner had left Miami behind in the dust a few days earlier.

Jack was far too smart to make his search easy. He had spent countless hours searching for any of her known aliases to show up in flight manifests, train stations, etc. He had no luck so far and had finally decided to program his laptop to notify him if one popped up in a database. He also programmed it to notify him if a woman matching her description showed up in the hospital, jail, or the morgue.

One of his daughter's most noticeable flaws was her temper. If he was lucky, it would help him track her down. Jack was prone to trouble, so her getting arrested would be a best-case scenario. Her turning up dead was the worst.

_I swear, I'm putting GPS tracking devices on all three of them. I'm getting too old for this shit._

He was cautiously working his way up the coast at the moment in a BMW he had paid cash for. It was highly unlikely that his search would end any time soon, and when it did, he could always give the car to Joe.

Jackson was hitting every town near either an airport, a major bus or train station, and that was along with all large cities. If it were him, he would be hiding somewhere he could easily disappear from.

No matter what, he would not stop until he brought his baby Jack home—dead or alive. He would die first before he abandoned his favorite daughter.

* * *

_Maryland_

Her breathing was fine by the time they arrived at her apartment. Kyra was exhausted, but as far as she could tell, no worse for the wear.

"Mel, are you sure you're okay?" Mark was inquiring worriedly.

She wanted nothing more than to roll her icy eyes at him, but somehow she resisted the temptation.

"I'm fine now. Just tired…"

He continued to hang onto her fatigued body; not quite believing her. Kyra tried to push him away and stumbled on her high heels. Mark caught her and she began to tremble.

_Don't touch me! Don't ever touch me!_

"Let me help you, Mel."

Once again, too weak to protest or fight back, Kyra allowed Mark to half-carry her. Her body still shook uncontrollably, but it was beyond her control. This time, he took her into her bedroom and helped her sit on the bed.

His hands lingered and her shaking increased.

_Rough hands shoved her onto her bed and pinned her wrists together. She struggled and kicked out, all the while fighting to reach the knife strapped to her ankle. _

_"Daddy—" The words were on her lips, but her cry was silenced by a large hand._

_Her blue eyes were wide in shock and her mind scrabbled. All the training, all the lectures, all the weapons—they were useless. She had failed._

_Hands all over her body. Tearing at her clothes, pinching skin, smothering her…_

_She tried to scream but she could not breathe. Smoke filled her nostrils and the hand stifled her breath as he lay on her chest—crushing her lungs. _

_She was going to die here. This man would violate her and kill her in her own bedroom. No one would ever know because somewhere, somewhere outside her room, they were killing her family. Her brave mother, her younger sister, her father… her father…_

_She renewed her struggle. Her attacker was shocked by her sudden movements and she bit the fleshy part between his thumb and pointer finger. He howled in pain._

_With him knocked off balance, she brought her left leg up and rammed her knee into his side. He rolled to her right side and she pulled her knife free of the ankle sheath._

_She released an animalistic snarl and attacked with her knife; driving the blade deep into his body…_

"Mel? Are you okay?" Mark was shaking her free of the old memory.

Kyra nodded with a shake of her head.

"For a moment there, I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm fine," she croaked.

The memory had just reminded her of why she was wary of men. Mark could have easily pinned her to bed like her attacker had two years earlier and taken her, but he had left her alone. He was still leaving her alone and respecting the barrier she had erected between them.

"If you need anything," he stood up to leave once he seemed convinced that she was not going to fall over, "just call me or make a loud sound."

"A loud sound?"

"Do you honestly think I've leaving you alone? Not a chance. I'll be sleeping on the couch—with all my clothes on, I swear."

"But—" she started to protest.

"I'm worried about you, Mel. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

_You're too late. I'm already pretty well fucked up._

Still, she was touched by his concern and nodded her acceptance. If he wanted to sleep on her couch, fine. But he was not coming back into her room and she was not going to be sleeping in pjs that night.

If she managed to sleep at all.

* * *

_Miami_

Lisa and Myra slowly walked through Miami International Airport together. The last time she could remember being in the airport, Jackson had been hot on her heels and determined to kill her for jamming a pen into his windpipe and fucking up his plans.

_Times certainly have changed…at least I hope so._

Because these days, she wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of her husband, wherever the hell he was.

Lisa hailed a cab outside the airport and directed the driver to the address of her father's house. It was all she could do to hope that after all these years he was still alive and still at the same old house.

"Mum, it's gonna be fine," Myra reassured her, speaking for one of the first times since they had arrived in the States. Unlike Kyra, Myra had never been to Miami or anywhere in the States. She had spent her entire life abroad.

She squeezed her daughter's hand. "I sure hope so."

But somehow, deep inside, she knew it was going to be far from fine.

Lisa paid the driver when they arrived, collected their meager luggage, and strode up the front walk with Myra right behind her. It had been years since she had glimpsed her father's house and it was holding up remarkably well.

She knocked loudly on the front door, heard her father's voice yell, "I'm comin', I'm comin'!"

A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to turn and run. _How do I say, 'sorry dad for making you think I was dead for seventeen years'? Oh, by the way, have you seen my husband and daughter? Yes, he's the same guy who tried to kill me…_

"It's okay, mum. Everything's gonna be fine." Myra sounded so confident and sure.

Lisa tried to return the smile her daughter had flashed her, but she was unable to.

"I swear, Jackson, if it's you, I'm gonna—" Joe Reisert never finished his threat as he unlocked the door and saw the two redheads standing on his porch.

"Hi, dad."

"Leese? What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in England."

**Author's Notes:**

So much information crammed into this one chapter. My head's spinning just from writing it. We'll be seeing more from Jackson in a while once he starts getting closer to Kyra, but for the time being, the story's going to focus more on Kyra's growing relationship with Mark and Lisa's reunion with her father.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nine**

_Miami_

"England?" Lisa was confused. "How did you know about England?"

Joe sighed and held the front door open wide. "I think you'd better come in."

She ushered Myra in front of her and Joe smiled widely at his granddaughter. "You must be Myra," he said brightly. Myra's jaw dropped, but at her mother's prodding, continued inside the house.

"Dad? What's going on here?" Lisa demanded; tapping her high-heel clad foot on the wood floor. _I never told him about Myra or Jack—or England. What the hell's going on?_

Joe shut the front door and locked it up before leading the way into the living room. The same old furniture that Lisa could remember from before Kyra's birth was still there; a little more worn, but still usable. It wasn't until Joe sank into his favorite chair that she even realized how old her father looked.

It had been over seventeen years since she had last seen him. They had argued shortly before Kyra's birth, while her unusual courtship with Jackson was occurring and she was 'acting like a hermit'. Hateful words had been exchanged, and father and daughter had not spoken since.

She shot him an expectant glance; eager to figure out how he knew so much. There was still underlying hostile between them, even though she really wanted to give him a big hug and ask how his life was. But time was of the essence and she needed to know how he had become informed.

Joe Reisert sighed deeply. "I saw Jackson two weeks ago. He was looking for your daughter, Jack—"

"Jackson? He came here?" Her anger was rising once again. _What made him think that it was okay to suddenly appear here? He's lucky dad didn't shoot him on sight!_

Though it would have served Jackson right for knocking her out and disappearing like a thief after their missing daughter.

"Yes, Lisa, he did. He was very distraught and repeatedly assured me that you were safe in England with Myra."

"How did you know it was Myra and not Jack?" Lisa was perched on the edge of her seat now. Myra had sunk into the aged sofa beside her, but she could tell that her youngest daughter was hanging onto every word.

"We talked for a long time. At first I didn't believe a word he said, then he showed me all these pictures…"

_The wallet…he took his wallet with him. How many pictures does he have shoved in there? Why does he carry pictures? He was always so concerned about security…_

"…and I just had to believe him. He looked so miserable, Leese. I don't think he'd slept in days, yet he was very determined. He thought Jack might have been here…"

"Dad, when's the last time you saw Jackson?" Lisa interrupted. Hearing about her husband's ill state was making her uncomfortable.

"Surely he's been in touch with you…" Joe started, but he stopped at the bitter look on her face.

"No, dad, my ever gracious husband knocked me out two months ago, disappeared, and I haven't seen or heard from him since."

"He—he hurt you?"

Lisa snorted. "Of course he did! He's Jackson and when he's stressed out he resorts to old habits! Those habits include—but aren't limited to—slamming me into walls, choking me, knocking me out, and just generally pushing me around!"

"Leese, I had no idea—"

She stood up now; pacing the floor angrily. "This is what I get for falling in love with such a self-centered creep! I should be used to him leaving by now, but I'm not! And he, he came running to _you_ instead of including _me_! And I'm his _wife_, damnit!!!"

Lisa struck out at vase, which went flying across the room and shattered into many colorful bits and pieces. Myra jumped to her feet and started to gather the large shards, while Joe went over to his distraught daughter, whose green eyes were now filled with tears.

"Ssh, sweetheart, I'm sure he had a reason…" Joe soothed, hugging Lisa. She was shaking and sobbing.

"How could he?" she choked out. "How could he do that to me?"

"The one thing I'm sure of is that he loves you. As much as I want to wring his scrawny neck, I know that he loves you. That's why he left you. That's what he told me," Joe reassured her.

Lisa let out a wry chuckle. "Sometimes I want to choke him too."

"But you never do, because you love him back. Somehow, you two really do care deeply for each other."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Myra came over and laid her head on Lisa's shoulder. "See? Everything's gonna be fine now, mum."

Lisa smiled briefly and Joe released her so that she could hug her daughter. Then Lisa, Joe, and Myra became entangled in a three-way hug and Lisa began to cry again.

* * *

_Maryland_

Kyra jolted awake when the sunlight came through the open blinds of her bedroom window and struck her pale face. She glanced down and noticed that she was still dressed in the same clothes that she had worn to dinner.

_What happened?_ She found herself wondering as her head pounded.

Her chest still felt tight and there was an overwhelming urge to be sick.

Kyra's bare feet skidded and slipped across the wooden floor as she raced towards her bathroom. She knelt down beside the toilet mere seconds before her stomach lost the bit of food left undigested from the previous night's dinner.

Running footsteps caused her to look up with bleary eyes and strong hands were supporting her weak body.

"Mel, Mel, are you okay?" Mark questioned; his voice concerned and soothing.

"Tired…"

"Mel, look at me." He grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. She shook at his grip, but the worried look in his eyes convinced her that she was safe.

"So tired… dizzy…"

She started to fall and he pulled her closer to himself, leaning her exhausted body on his. Tremors coursed through her body, but his soothing murmurs and caresses relaxed her. She felt safe and protected with him.

_You won't ever hurt me, will you?_

"Go back to sleep, Mel, ssh…" he urged, brushing a few strands of her hair back from her eyes.

Kyra closed her icy blue eyes and fell asleep slumped on Mark's shoulder with his arms holding her upright and close to him.

**Author's Notes:**

Now a bit of trust is forming between Kyra and Mark, but then again she is exhausted and her defenses are down. As for Joe being the voice of reason, he spent a lot of time with Jackson and he knows how much Jackson cares for his family, otherwise he'd have been telling Lisa to divorce her husband. And Myra's really shy, hence her very slight appearance in this chapter.

Thanks for reading/reviewing! Enjoy!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Ten**

_Maryland – Two months later…_

Kyra stretched in her bed lazily; feeling a bit like a satisfied cat after a long nap in the sun. She had essentially just woken up from a nap and for one of the first times in over two years, she actually felt rested.

She abandoned the warm covers and padded barefoot down the short, nearly non-existent hallway into her living room. Passed out on her couch, half-covered with a blanket stolen from the back of the couch, was Mark. As agreed, he was still fully dressed and his long blonde hair was a mess.

She could not help but smile as he slept on unaware of her presence.

After he had cared for her that one night, Kyra had become more open with him. She found herself able to trust someone for the first time in many years. The only person she could ever remember trusting was her father, but even then, he had still turned around and betrayed her. He had driven her to her current state of affairs—with a boyfriend that she trusted, yet was afraid of his touch.

Since that night, she had still jumped every time he tried to touch her. Mark was very understanding about it and kept his distance, but she could not help but yearn for normalcy. She wanted them to be able to act the same as any other couple.

Heading back into her bedroom, Kyra lifted the bed skirt and dialed the combination to unlock her safe. She withdrew the leather journal and a pen before leaning her back against the bed.

She pressed the pen to a clean sheet of paper and began to write.

_August 11th, 2025_

_It's hard to believe how much time has passed since I left. I should be grateful that I have evaded my father as long as I have, but I hate lying. I hate having to lie to Mark about my past, my family—even my own name. He's so trusting and understanding, yet everything I've told him has been a lie._

_So much for the 'never tell a lie' rule…_

_I can't help but wonder if what mum felt about him is the same way I feel about Mark. I know she did her best to resist him, but they still ended up together. Mum was scared long before she met my father, but she was still able to have a semi-normal life. Well, as normal as you can get with assassins on your trail and a manipulative, self-centered bastard for a lover._

_Does she ever wonder if she made a mistake? I can't help but wonder if the world would have been a better place without me and Myra. Our father could care less about us. We're nothing more than mere property to him. That's the only reason he's tracking me. It's not because he loves me—he just feels that I belong to him._

_I'll be damned if he catches me._

Kyra slammed the journal shut bitterly and shoved it back in her hiding place. She glanced up at one of the many clocks in her apartment and stood back up. It was mid-morning, and they should both be waking up if they planned to make it to their afternoon classes.

Sighing and shaking her head, she walked past Mark's sleeping frame and into her kitchen. Without paying much attention to the amount of noise she was making, Kyra withdrew a frying pan, a carton of eggs, plates, bacon, and other miscellaneous cooking supplies. She turned the burner on the stove and waited for the pan to heat up.

While she was waiting, she cracked the eggs and began preparing scrambled eggs for herself and Mark. When the pan was ready she started frying the bacon first.

The scent of cooking breakfast items comforted her and reminded her of home.

_"Scrambled eggs at 3am, Leese?" Jackson was teasing as he snuck up behind Lisa while she stood at the stove. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and buried his head in her curls._

_"Couldn't sleep. Want some?"_

_"Hmm…"_

_"Yes or no, Jackson?"_

_"I have better things to do than eat eggs. Such as…" he spun her around to face him, "show you just how much I love you."_

_Lisa smiled slyly as he reached behind her to turn off the burner. Once satisfied that the house was not about to burn down around them, Jackson lifted her onto a nearby counter. She giggled._

_"What about the girls? Are you sure that this is safe?" _

_"They're sound asleep. Besides, it's no secret how much I love you."_

_Jackson's lips trailed kisses up and down her slender throat as she made little noises. He was wearing a self-satisfied smirk._

_From her hiding place, Kyra was beginning to be grossed out. Her parents were not exactly very quiet or private about their affections and it was a fairly normal sight to walk in a room and find the two entwined and making out. But she knew exactly what they were leading up to, and Kyra could not help but wonder why they could not just walk back down the hall to their bedroom and do it._

_A cry sounded from down the hall and she winced. It was Myra and she was probably having another nightmare. And once her sister was awake, she would be looking for her and her parents would figure out that she was not in bed asleep._

_"I'll handle it," Lisa said quietly, disentangling herself and hoping down from the counter. Jackson did not bother to protest._

_She heard her mother's soft footsteps pad down the hall and she started to crawl in the direction of her bedroom. Soon, Myra would be asking for her, and like always, her baby sister would get what she wanted._

_"Hello, Jack," said her father, suddenly appearing in her path. She stifled a gasp._

_Kyra squeezed her blue eyes closed tightly, praying that she was only dreaming and that when she opened her eyes, she would still be in her bed. No such luck._

_When she opened her eyes, Jackson was helping her to her feet and scolding her. _

_"Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner, what the hell am I going to do with you?" he asked with a slightly amused tone as he shook his dark-haired head._

_"I didn't mean to—honestly."_

_He rolled his crystalline eyes. "Jackie…"_

_"Fine…I was hungry. I didn't mean to, but I could smell the eggs—"_

_"I understand, now what do you say when you get back down the hall before your mother comes looking for you, hmm?"_

_"Fine," scowled Kyra, eleven years old and already stubborn as hell._

"Mhmm, eggs, huh?" Mark's sleepy voice from behind her startled her.

"Uh, yeah." She nodded her head, trying to cover her surprise.

"My favorite. How are you this morning, Mel?"

She smiled. "I'm doing just fine. You?"

"Me too, though I think it's about time you got a bigger couch."

"Is that so? Maybe it's about time you started sleeping at your own apartment, Mr. Tyler," Kyra teased, turning around to smirk at him.

"Only if you'll stay there with me."

A shiver ran up her spine as Mark placed a hand on either side of her on the stovetop. He was very close to her and she thought she could see determination in his eyes. More than anything, Kyra wished she had her knife with her, but there was no place to hide it in her plaid shorts and tank top that she had slept in.

"Mel? Earth to Mel!" Mark was waving a hand in front of her face. She could not help but jump this time.

"Sorry, I got distracted."

"Yeah, and you're burning the bacon."

**Author's Notes:**

I feel like I'm actually making good time on this story. I'm not updating every day, but hey, writers (even fan fic writers) need to have a life outside of writing. Well, I don't, but sleep helps me think straight and deal with my personal issues (some of which are appearing in this story).

Anyways, thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eleven**

_South Carolina_

It was getting too damn hot for his likings.

Jackson had always preferred a cold climate. He had never really liked Miami's heat—he only hung around there for Lisa. Now after spending years in a much cooler, northern climate, the ex-assassination manager was having trouble adjusting to the heat.

Once again, he shed his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved, button-up dress shirt. He cranked up the AC which had the adverse effect of blowing his unruly, sun-lightened long hair into his red-rimmed blue eyes. His shoulders slumped as he sat in the driver's seat and contemplated his next move.

He had long since lost count of the number of nights he had lain awake. He could not find a way to rest—not with his precious daughter missing and his beloved wife back across an ocean.

He often found himself praying to a God that he did not believe in to keep his scattered family safe.

Jackson Rippner had finally reached his breaking point. He was no longer in control. He no longer had the answers. He was worthless. All the training, all the practice—none of it had prepared him or his family for this. No one could have predicted that his baby Jack would disappear in the middle of the night.

But he should have. He should have seen the signs that she left. He should have known her state of mind.

There was a time when they had shared everything. He had once known her as well as he knew himself.

Then he found her covered in blood, breathing ragged, and as unpredictable as an animal filled with bloodlust. There had been a mutilated body in her room and judging by the dripping knife in her grasp, she had been the one to kill him.

Yet that terror-filled look she had given him when he had entered the room still haunted him. Something had happened in that room—something had caused his daughter to snap.

But instead of caring about her, he had been furious with her. She should have called for him and used the knife to keep the stranger contained until he arrived. Jack should have never had to kill anyone. He should have been there for her when she needed him.

_I failed you once...but never again. I won't let it happen again._

The cell phone clipped to his belt began to chime. Wearily, he unclipped it and answered. "Rippner," he sighed.

"Long time no speak, Jack. I hear you're back in the business?"

"Who the fuck told you that, Weiss?"

A chuckle came from the other end and Jackson briefly considered hanging up the phone. It was one of his least favorite business partners—a chatty fellow by the name of Alex Weiss. Ironically, his brother, Jonathan Weiss, had been sent to prison by a phone tip from Jackson.

Alex was well aware that Jackson had put his brother behind bars, but apparently Jonathan had it coming to him. Weiss was still a go-to man for intelligence gleaned from all around the world.

"The same person who told me your daughter's missing."

_That_ got his attention.

"And who the hell was that? Tell me so I can rip their fucking throat out."

"Whoa, down killer. Geesh, they can take the manager out of the business, but they can't take the business out of the manager…"

"Get to the goddamn point, Weiss," he snapped bitterly.

Mentioning Jack had gotten him steamed and now Weiss was trying to lead him around on a leash. He was beyond exhausted, cranky, sweaty, and armed. And more than anything, he wanted his daughter back.

"Ouch. Is that anyway to—"

"Listen up, asshole. You tell me who sold me out and I won't have to hunt you down and fillet you with my knife."

Though, he would probably still make time for a little side trip…

"Well," Weiss' voice dropped down low; almost to a whisper, "the word on the street is that your daughter's sleeping around…"

_I'm gonna sharpen my knife, and then I'm gonna—_

Weiss cleared his throat. "But I heard that from Loughney and you can't trust anything that little shit says. Shit, the twerp probably wouldn't even know her until she came up and gutted him."

"Where did he say she was?" Jackson's patience was at an end.

"Still in hanging out in the balmy south, Jack? I always knew you liked the heat. Your pretty little girl on the other hand—she likes things a bit cooler. She's up north."

He rolled his icy blue eyes. "How far?"

"Well, how am I supposed to know that telling you this stuff isn't gonna come back to bite me in the ass?"

"Weiss…" he growled low in his throat.

"Okay, okay, I get the picture. It was somewhere near water… umm, was it Virginia? Delaware? Pennsylvania?"

"Weiss!"

"Got it, got it. It was Maryland. She was seen in Maryland."

"Where in Maryland?" That was still too much ground to cover. He needed to narrow it down.

"Haven't a clue. Loughney heard it secondhand, so I only know what he was told."

"How did they know she's my daughter?"

"How _wouldn't _they know? Shit, Jack, she's only got the same exact color hair as you. Not to mention I'm sure she's armed to the teeth if she's anything like her old man. Plus you've both got the creepiest eyes I've ever seen. You two are fucking creepy—"

"Thanks for nothing, Weiss." Jackson hung up the phone.

He reattached the phone to the belt clip and banged the back of his head against the leather head rest.

Maryland. Jack was in Maryland.

And, if you believe Loughney, his daughter was a whore.

_How the hell did things end up like this? Where did Lisa and I go wrong?_

He sighed and glanced at his watch. If he started now, he might make it to Maryland before dark. That was if he drove like a maniac and broke every traffic law known to mankind.

_I'm coming, Jackie. Daddy's coming…_

He could only hope that he wasn't too late.

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson's pretty pissed—but can you blame him?

Anyways, the next chapter should hopefully be up soon. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twelve**

_Miami_

"Dad?" Lisa called as she came down the back stairs into the kitchen. Her bare feet made no sound as she stepped lightly on the cool floor. "Dad?"

_Where could he be?_

She had already checked upstairs and the only person on the second floor was Myra sleeping soundly in Lisa's old room. That meant her father had to be downstairs. She had seen his car parked in the driveway and he never left the house on foot.

"Dad?" Her voice was starting to tremble. Something wasn't right.

As she stepped into the living room, she heard an unfamiliar voice speak up.

"Come right on in, Mrs. Rippner. I've been waiting for you."

Lisa froze in the doorway. Her father was taped to his favorite chair—his eyes wide and him shaking his head. His mouth was duct-taped shut and he was unable to do anything but mumble.

She wanted to back-pedal immediately, find Myra, and get a weapon. _Any_ weapon would do.

"Think again, Mrs. Rippner," the stranger said sternly, cocking a gun towards her father. "Get in here."

Lisa hesitated until she realized that the middle-aged man in front of her with the gun would all too quickly—and gladly—kill her father if she refused to cooperate. His eyes held the same cold and uncaring look that Jackson's often did. He clearly meant business.

_Oh God, Jackson, what have you gotten us into now?_

She slowly entered the living room, keeping her eyes on the stranger. He was dressed in a clean-cut suit, no tie, and his fair hair was short-cropped and neatly combed into place. Apparently it was possible to be more obsessive about appearance than Jackson. Of course, Jackson's hair tended to be longer and more shaggy and he went through various stages of very neat to very sloppy.

"Take a seat right over there, Mrs. Rippner," he ordered, pointing towards a couch opposite him with his gun. The metallic weapon was now trained on her.

She obeyed and looked to him for more orders and also answers. Such as what the hell he was doing in her father's house and how he knew her name.

"Good, you're doing very well so far, Mrs. Rippner. I'm sure your husband loves having you at his beck-and-call. Jackson always did love obedience."

"What do you want?" Lisa snapped wearily. She did not want to play mind games this morning. It was too early, she had too little sleep, and most of all she missed her husband and her oldest daughter.

"I want you to tell me where your husband's hiding out, Mrs. Rippner."

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me, Mrs. Rippner, or my finger might slip and pull the trigger. You see, I don't need you alive to find him. I'm just thinking he might appreciate being able to say good-bye—"

"I have _no idea_ where he is. He disappeared one morning and I haven't seen him since."

"Yet you came all the way to Miami. Where, I have it on good authority, your husband was seen not too long ago. Explain that to me, Mrs. Rippner."

"My father lives here. This is my home," she said icily.

"And your husband?"

"What Jackson does is none of my business. In case you haven't heard, I'm filing for a divorce."

"No, I hadn't heard that."

"Well, now you have." Lisa stood up slowly and carefully eyeing the gun. "Now, will you get the hell out of my house?"

"Not so fast, Mrs. Rippner. Sit down."

Lisa glared across the room at him. "I think not."

She was done being patient. She was done being obedient.

"I'm going to ask you one more time—"

"Fuck off!" she yelled bitterly.

The stranger in the suit jerked his gun up in the air and fired. The wall right behind her head shuddered as the bullet entered; raining drywall particles and dust upon her.

"Sit your pretty little ass down, Mrs. Rippner. I won't tell you again."

Dumbfounded and shaking, Lisa did as he requested.

_No matter what, he's going to kill me. It's only a matter of time. If I'm lucky, he doesn't know about Myra and she can get away. She can get away and she can find Jackson…no she can't. She's not Kyra—she would be too afraid to leave me. She wouldn't know how to track him down…_

A few stray tears fell from her green eyes as she sat on the couch, nervous and trembling.

"I'm gonna ask you one more time, Mrs. Rippner. Now, where is Jackson Rippner?"

"I don't know!" she sobbed, feeling trapped. It was just like her nightmare when he returned all those years ago. She was trapped, without the information they were requesting, and had no way of getting help.

_He's going to kill me…_

Just then, the phone rang.

**Author's Notes:**

Hehehe, I'm leaving you all with a cliffie. I'm evil, I know. But don't worry, I'll update again tomorrow. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Maryland-Virginia border_

Jackson Rippner had just crossed over the state line from Virginia and he was finally starting to relax. He still had no idea what part of Maryland Jack might be in, but he was several steps closer to finding her than he had been a few hours earlier.

If she was even still alive.

That possibility had been lingering in his mind ever since Jack had disappeared five months earlier. If the wrong person spotted her, then his favorite daughter was dead. The people he had worked with almost two decades ago were the type to shoot first and ask questions much later. They were cold-blooded and ruthless, just as he was.

As he drove, he yanked his cell phone from the belt clip and hit a speed dial.

If someone had spotted Jack, then it was only a matter of time before they found the rest of his family. He had to make arrangements to get them to safety.

* * *

_Miami_

"Answer the goddamn phone!" the stranger screamed at Lisa, jerking his gun in the direction of the ringing phone.

Lisa nodded and scooted towards the cordless phone. The caller id was flashing and Lisa froze for a brief moment before grabbing the phone.

The id was flashing _Rippner, Jackson_. Her husband that she hadn't spoken to in months.

"Hello?" She didn't even bother to conceal the tremor in her voice.

"Leese? Leese, what the hell are you doing there? I told you to stay in England!" Jackson was agitated and judging by the background noise and a few choice swear words uttered under his breath, he was driving.

She winced as she felt the barrel of the stranger's gun caress the back of her head.

"I'm sorry, you must have a wrong number," she whispered.

"Lisa, what the fuck's going on? Why—"

Click. She hung up the phone and slowly turned towards her captor.

"Who was on the phone, Mrs. Rippner?"

* * *

_Maryland-Virginia border_

"Shit!"

The cell phone in his hand was mockingly displaying 'Call Ended'. Lisa had hung up on him.

_Figures…_

But her voice—it was bothering him. Why had she acted like she didn't know him? Why was her voice trembling?

_They already got to her…_

Jackson jumped across several lanes of traffic, earning several honks, a few swear words, and one flipped flock. He sped down the exit ramp and pulled off the freeway as quickly as possible.

Parking his BMW in a parking lot, he tried to catch his breath and calm himself. Not only was his daughter missing, but now his wife's life was in danger. Lisa had been kidnapped.

Jack was at least well-armed, but Lisa… his beloved Lisa was defenseless.

And wherever Lisa was, Myra was sure to follow. And if Lisa was the one answering the phone, then that meant Joe was either unable to answer the phone, dead, or their captor was anticipating a phone call from him and wanted Lisa to answer.

Either way, his entire family was in danger, if they weren't already dead.

_No matter what I decide to do, someone's going to end up hurt—possibly killed…_

If only Jack was with him. Then he could rest easier and focus on Lisa.

Taking a death breath, Jackson re-dialed Joe's home phone and waited for someone to pick up.

* * *

_Miami_

The phone in Lisa's hand began to ring. Her captor snatched it from her grasp and pressed the gun closer against her head. "Don't get any cute ideas, Mrs. Rippner," he warned before answering the phone.

"Hello?" he said in his best imitation of Joe Reisert's voice.

"Get away from my wife, you asshole."

"Is that anyway to speak to your father-in-law? I thought you of all people had better manners, Rippner—"

"Shut the fuck up and put Lisa on the phone," Jackson demanded impatiently.

"Lisa? Lisa's not here at the moment."

"Stop playing games with me, Dowd. Don't act like I'm too stupid to be fooled by your false voice. I want to speak to my wife."

"You don't get to speak to your precious _wife_ until you agree to my terms," teased Robert Dowd as he rubbed the gun's muzzle from Lisa's head, down her back, and up along; all by pressing the muzzle into her spinal cord.

"If I don't have proof of life, I don't agree to anything."

"Stubborn, stubborn… what a shame."

Dowd jerked the gun away from Lisa's spine long enough to fire a shot. Lisa screamed until he wrapped his arm around her neck and choked her air supply off.

"Lisa!" Jackson was calling her over the phone but she could not get any words or sounds out clearly.

"I just shot your father-in-law, Rippner. Tell me, should I shoot your wife too?"

"Don't you fucking dare! Get your hands off my Lisa!"

"Now listen up, Rippner. I know all about your favorite daughter—Jack is her name, right?—and it just so happens that one of my associates has her in custody. Now if you want your wife and your daughter to live, then you'll listen up closely—"

Dowd never got a chance to finish his sentence as Myra entered the room with a frying pan. She whacked him soundly in the head; knocking him towards the room.

With her neck released and the gun moved away from her head, Lisa spun around and bit her captor's outstretched wrist in order to steal the gun. He yelped and dropped the phone, which Lisa caught in one hand. She pressed the phone against her ear and steadied the gun with her hands.

"Don't you dare move _an inch_," she snarled at the dazed stranger. Myra also stood mere inches away with the frying pan held tightly in her grasp; ready to take another swing at him.

"Leese?" Jackson's voice was in her ear. "You okay?"

"I've had better days."

"I'm sure," he said wryly. "Now can you keep him contained until I get there?"

"Where are you?"

A sigh, then: "Maryland, Leese. I'm in Maryland."

"What the hell are you doing all the way up there?"

"I got a tip that Jack—"

"Kyra'll be fine for a few more days. But I'm not fine and Myra's not fine. I had a _gun_ to my head!"

"But Jack—" His voice was reluctant.

"Jackson Rippner, get your ass down here _now_!" Lisa said harshly as she motioned for her former captor to sit down on the floor while he cradled his injured wrist. "Or I'm gonna shoot this ever-so-lovely friend of yours in the head."

"Leese, don't do that…"

"Why not?"

"Because he's working with the same people tracking Jack."

**Author's Notes:**

I promised I'd update today and I did. Yay for me! I know I'm leaving another cliffie, but the next few chapters will probably be cliffies as the story starts to pick up the pace. Thanks so much for reading/reviewing! It really makes my day to open my e-mail and see all the kind reviews!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Maryland – AACC campus_

Kyra was sitting on a bench outside Student Union with her textbooks propped on her crossed legs as she reviewed her notes and reading from the previous two days. She had to be across campus in the Careers Building in an hour but she was enjoying the peace, quiet, and sunshine between classes.

She had just finished eating a snack and it was still all she could do to keep her eyes open. Her and Mark had been up late talking and watching TV at his apartment before he took her home. Unfortunately, that meant she had not unlocked her apartment's many locks until shortly around 1am. She had not even made it to her bed until 2am.

The apartment business was getting rather annoying. He lived in Annapolis and she lived in Edgewater—at least a fifteen minute commute on a good day. On a bad day, it could take over an hour to get from one location to the other.

If the late nights and lack of sleep kept up, then Kyra could kiss her college career and her relationship with Mark good-bye. The less sleep she got, the more mistakes she made; the more mistakes, the easier it was for her father to track her down.

_I can't let him find me…_

"Mel?" a familiar voice called curiously.

Her dark-haired head shot up from her books and she smiled.

Mark returned the smile before sitting down on the bench beside her. "So, how are you doing today?"

"Ugh," she moaned, shooting him a dirty look. "A certain _someone_ kept me up too late."

"Aww, you know there's one way we can remedy that…"

"Turn the time back to last night?"

He laughed. "No, no…"

"Well, what then?"

"What do you say we move in together?" Mark reached for her hands and rubbed them with his thumbs. Kyra flinched a bit, but she managed to remain composed. "We've been together for several months now and keeping two separate apartments is kind of silly, don't you think?"

Not to mention that the rent was eating her small amount of money like there was no tomorrow. Her measly little part-time job was not netting enough money to keep her living easy.

She sighed; then, "I don't know—"

"Mel, I don't like you being in that apartment all by yourself. You're very close to the crappy side of town and someone could easily try and take advantage of you—a young woman living all alone. I'd feel safer if you were somewhere I could protect you and watch over you."

Somehow, she resisted the urge to snort or laugh. _Yeah, poor defenseless little me with a knife and a handgun…sure…_

"Please, Mel," he begged. "Let me take care of you."

She froze. She really liked Mark—maybe it was love—but she was wary of trusting him too much too fast. She knew exactly what had happened to her parents and how their lives had become hopelessly entangled. Kyra did not want to make the same mistake.

_I won't turn out like him…_

"Come on, Mel. We've been dancing around this issue for weeks now. What do you need from me? Do you need me to marry you first? Pledge everlasting love? What?"

A hint of a laugh escaped her lips and Mark smiled. He released her hands and his hands gravitated towards her sides. He ran his long pointer finger up and down her sides, teasing and tickling her sensitive skin until she started to crack.

Her textbooks fell to the ground forgotten as she laughed and playfully struggled with him.

"Well?" he prodded; his blonde hair in disarray and both of them panting as he lightly tickled her again to make his point.

"I surrender!" she giggled; trying to fend off his hands.

"To what?" He sounded suspicious and his hands hovered near her.

"I'll move in with you," Kyra agreed breathlessly. "I will."

"That's more like it," Mark said, suddenly reaching up towards her head, titling it, and pressing his lips against hers.

Her blue eyes flew open wide in shock and she tried to fight it at first, but quickly gave in. She returned the kiss without really thinking.

Kyra suddenly stopped kissing Mark and shoved him. Stunned, he fell to the ground as she sat there shaking her head.

"Mel? What's wrong?"

"I…I can't do this…"

"Do what?" He sat up and looked at her concernedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's not you—it's me. I just can't—"

"Can't what?"

Sadly, she whispered, "I can't be with you."

"Why not? Did I do something wrong?"

"It's not you. I just—I won't be like them. I can't be like him."

"Who?"

Wiping a tear from her blue eyes, she stared down at him. "My parents. I won't be like my father."

"What's your father got to do with us?"

"It's a long story," she said, shaking her head and bending down to grab her fallen books.

He snatched her wrist. "Tell me."

"I can't."

"Of course you can."

"Mark, let go of me…" she whispered, while her right hand lingered near the hem of her jeans. "Please…"

"Not until you tell me what the hell's going on with you, Mel. I love you, and I don't want to give you up."

"No, you don't love me. No one can—"

"Stop making excuses and tell me why not. Tell me why you have to be so cold. Tell me why every time I touch you, you flinch. Tell me the truth!" he demanded.

"You want the truth?" she asked angrily.

"Of course I do!"

"Fine!" Kyra snapped, unsheathing her knife and aiming at him. "I'm the illegitimate daughter of a hired killer and his target. My father loves my mother so much he threw her down a flight of stairs the first time she was pregnant and he smacks her around all the time. He's such a great man that he ignores my younger sister in favor of our mother and me. He trained me to be just like him—cold, ruthless, and uncaring. He pissed off enough people that one of them tried to rape me and then he freaked out on me when I killed my attacker. Are you happy now?"

"Is that the truth?"

"Yes."

"So what's your real name, Melanie Brennan?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're hiding from him, aren't you? You're hiding from your father."

"Of course, but what does that have to do—"

"What's your real name?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Fine." She took a deep breath. "My name's Kyra."

**Author's Notes:**

I'm actually getting pretty good at updating daily. Hehehe. Well, if it wasn't for plays-with-stars, I'd probably move a lot slower and these chapters wouldn't be half as good. :)

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Miami International Airport – a few hours later_

Jackson Rippner stood at a claim area, tapping his foot. He had brought the wrong papers with him regarding his weapons, so he had been forced to check them into the hold. Now, two hours after deplaning, he was still waiting on getting them back.

_I'm too old and tired to be dealing with this…_

His cell phone started to ring on his belt. Annoyed, he unclipped it, considered ignoring it, and answered, "What?"

"Where the hell are you?!" Lisa screamed at him; her shrill voice causing him to flinch.

"I'm in Miami."

"Well, why haven't I seen you yet if you're here?!"

"Probably because I'm still in your favorite place in the whole world—Miami International Airport!" he snapped back bitterly.

"Just hurry up and get here!"

Before Jackson could respond, Lisa had hung up on him.

Cursing under his breath, he replaced his phone and finally reached the claims desk, where he could hopefully be returned his checked weapons. _Never again do I check my weapons. Next time, I'm carrying them on the plane._

"Can I help you, sir?" the young woman at the claims desk asked politely.

"I sure as hell hope so," he said angrily, then slammed his paperwork down on the desk. "Now can you get my stuff or am I gonna have to wait another two fucking hours?"

* * *

_Miami – Joe's House_

Jackson alighted from the taxi cab he had taken from the airport. He thrust a handful of bills at the driver, slammed the door, and stalked up the walkway to Joe's front door. His trusty knife was back on his hip and slipped inside a shoulder holster concealed by his suit jacket was a gun. Having his weapons back gave him a little strength to combat the lack of sleep that had surrounded him during his search for Jack.

He needed it for what he was about to do.

"Lisa? Open the goddamn door!" Jackson called; pounding angrily on the front door. He had been so close to finding Jack, only to be dragged back down to Miami because his wife had disobeyed him.

The door was opened, but not by Lisa. It was Myra whose trembling fingers unlocked the door and turned the knob to let him in.

Seeing his youngest daughter only fueled his rage. If anything, it should have been Myra who disappeared, not his Jack. Not his baby girl…

He pushed past her and headed right into the living room, where Lisa was sitting; gun trained on the figure on the floor. There was a bloody welt on the side of Robert Dowd's head when he had been hit with some kind of heavy object.

"Hello, Leese," Jackson called coolly and Lisa jumped to her feet. Joe was also in the room, unharmed, and he took the gun from his daughter. Lisa walked calmly towards him, then reeled her hand back and smacked him harshly across the face.

"How dare you, Jackson? How dare you run out on me? How dare you?!" she shrieked, pounding on him relentlessly with her small fists. But her anger quickly gave way to tears and she was clutched the lapels of his suit jacket as he held her close; rubbing her back and whispering soothing words in her ears.

"I didn't want to, Lisa. I never wanted to leave you."

"Then why? Why did you do it?"

"I have to find Jack. I promised to protect her."

"Jackson, that was seventeen years ago! She doesn't remember--!"

"But I do!" Jackson yelled. "I remember holding her when I stood there covered in blood. I remember talking to her and swearing that no matter what, I'd always be there to protect her. I don't break promises, Lisa. Especially not to Jack…"

* * *

_Maryland – Kyra's Apartment_

Kyra was packing boxes while Mark carried them out to his car. They had decided get her settled in his place as soon as possible. Her rent was due for the next month in two days' time, so they were left with a small window of moving time.

Mark's apartment had two bedrooms, and he had offered her the other room, instead of having her sleep in the same room with him. She knew that eventually they would end up sharing a room, but for the time being, she preferred her own space.

"Kyra? I'm gonna take these boxes over and then I'll be back, okay?" Mark called from near the front door.

"Okay! See you in a bit!" she yelled back from her bedroom, where she was currently packing clothes.

She heard the door shut and continued neatly folding her shirts and stacking them inside the cardboard box. The phone began to ring and she sighed. _It's probably Mark. Most likely, Mr. Forgetful left his car keys up here…_

Kyra picked up the phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Jack," said an unfamiliar voice on the other end.

"You've got the wrong number."

She moved to hang up, when the voice taunted, "So you don't mind if I kill your little sister, do you? Myra's her name, correct?"

"Who the hell is this?" she growled, tightening her grip on the telephone.

"I'm the man who's going to kill your little sister and your mother if you don't bring me Jackson Rippner."

"Why would I do that?" She could not be sure this stranger had her mother or her sister, and despite Jackson ignoring her for two years, she still felt a strange sense of loyalty to her father.

"Let's just say your father and I have some unfinished business. Now, you are going to call him and tell him where you are. Then I'm going to call you back—"

"No, you're not!" Kyra yelled, hanging up the phone.

_He's lying, he's lying, he's lying! Mum and Myra are fine—they're home in England. They're fine…_

But there was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. How had this person found her? How did he know who she was?

**Author's Notes:**

Finally, a new chapter! We'll get to see Jackson in action in the next chapter as he spends a little alone time with Dowd. Enjoy! Thanks so much for all the reviews!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Miami – Joe's House_

Lisa studied her absent husband carefully. His usually crisp suit was full of wrinkles and even appeared to be stained. Dark bags were under his blue eyes; which were unnaturally hard and glacial. His brown hair had been lighted by the sun, but it was greasy and uncared for. His frame seemed gaunt and she wondered when the last time he had eaten a meal was. Jackson's entire appearance reminded her of an emaciated wild animal hunting for something.

_Losing Kyra is killing him, isn't it? It's taking away everything and leaving a sad sack of skin and bones in Jackson's place. Why didn't you say something to me? Why did you run off like that?_

She sat down next to him and gently rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. He returned the gesture, wrapping his left arm around her waist to link them together and turning his head to kiss Lisa's forehead.

They sat there, unmoving, for several long minutes. Then Jackson stood up and unsheathed his knife.

"Leese, you'd better leave," he warned her; his intense gaze focusing on Dowd.

She sat immobile on the couch as she stared at the shell of her husband. This man in Jackson's expensive clothes before her was not him. This was not Jackson. This man before her was broken. He was lost. He was not Jackson.

"I'm staying." Her voice was firm.

He sighed, but nodded. "Okay, but it's not gonna be pretty."

"I know."

Jackson shrugged off his jacket and revealed the gun strapped on his thinning body. He tightly gripped his favorite knife in his right hand.

"Joe," he looked up at the older man. "You can leave now. Take Myra upstairs and ignore anything you hear."

Her father nodded gravely and retreated from the room. A few moments later, she could hear footsteps on the stairs. At least one of her daughters would be spared seeing Jackson as a monster. Kyra had already seen his destructive rage as an infant.

"Lisa, I'm going to ask you to leave one more time," he pleaded with her softly.

She shook her head and stood her ground. "No, Jackson. I want answers and I'm not leaving until I get them."

He bent down beside Dowd and exposed the man's right arm and hand. He tested the blade on the skin of the lower arm and drew a thin red line before even speaking to the assassin.

"What did you do with Jack?" Jackson hissed; the knife poised and ready to slice the skin again.

"Who?"

"Jack—my daughter. You said your 'associate' had her. Now, what did you do with her?"

"I don't know any Jacks."

He placed a hand palm up on the floor. "I hope you weren't attached to your fingers…"

The assassin regarded him with mild interest as he slowly sliced some skin from the tip of the pointer finger. Lisa sucked in air at the sight of the blood and Jackson's cold, calculating looks and the precision with which he operated. He remained unmoved though.

"Who are you working with?" he pried, slicing away more skin and removing the rest of the skin covering the fingertip and with it the ridges which composed a fingerprint.

"No one."

"Really? That's strange. We both know that you don't have the brains to handle attacking my wife on your own. Few people would dare try it."

"She's not all that bright, Rippner. None of the bitches in your life are."

The blade in Jackson's hand slipped and bone cracked. "Oops," he mocked.

Lisa flinched. Jackson's actions were making her squirm and she was not the one under the knife. She hated seeing him like this—a totally different, cold-blooded killing machine bent on destroying others.

_He's desperate to get her back, isn't he? It's destroying him just as he's destroying that killer…_

"What do you want with her, huh? What do you want from Jack?"

"She's just a pawn, but your little daughter is quite a looker. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept her once this was over."

A whole finger was lost this time.

"Who? Who has my daughter, Dowd? You know he wouldn't take this if he was in your place. He'd squeal like a stuck pig and beg to be spared."

"Fuck off, Rippner."

"Fine!" Jackson snapped irritably and chopped the remaining fingers off one-by-one. "It looks like you're out of a job now."

Pain was being to register on Dowd's face. He was turning pale from the blood seeping from his wounded hand.

Jackson reached into the stranger's jacket. Sure enough, there was a cell phone resting inside. He pulled it loose, gave the assassin a withering look, and dialed a number.

"Hey, Leese," he called to her. "Remember the guy whose throat I slashed seventeen years ago?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Which one?"

"The one who went after you. My old friend, Max Ryder?"

She nodded. She could remember Jackson lying in wait, Jack held close to him as she was assaulted. He had waited for them to show themselves before attacking; clutching his baby daughter as he did his dirty work. He had refused to risk leaving Kyra out in the open.

"Well, the bastard's still alive." He flashed the screen of the cell phone at Lisa. It was a dialing a number belonging to M. Ryder.

"Oh God."

Somehow, knowing that Jackson's old enemy was in the mix was far worse than having an unknown stranger kidnapping their daughter.

She could only hope that it was not really Max Ryder. If it was, there was a good chance that Kyra was already dead.

* * *

_Maryland – Kyra's Apartment_

An hour later she was still sitting in the same spot that she had sunk into after hanging up the phone. She considered calling her mother in England or even risk trying her father's ever-present cell phone just to determine whether or not it was a hoax set up by him to catch her or a serious threat.

"Kyra? You okay?" Mark called, entering the bedroom.

She shook her short, dark brown hair. "No, I'm not."

He sat down beside her and motioned for her to sit on his lap. She slid over and did so, leaning her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. It made her feel safe and protected—like her father had when she was younger.

"What happened? Did someone—?"

"No, I got…I got a phone call…"

"About?"

"He said that he had my sister and my mother. That he'd kill them if I didn't…" she broke off; tears falling from her blue eyes.

"Ssh," he soothed. "Who said that? Your father?"

"No, he didn't say who he was. He just said that I had to tell my father how to find me or else he'd kill them. He'd kill them if I didn't give him up…"

He rubbed her back to comfort her. "Someone is messing with you, Kyra. Could it have been your father?"

"What?" She was shocked by the very idea. _Why would he threaten to kill mum and Myra?_

"Well, what did this phone guy ask for exactly?"

"He said to call my father and tell him where I was. And to hand my father over to him…"

"Okay, now what if the goal was to scare you into letting him find you?"

"I guess."

He lifted her chin and looked straight into her eyes. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I don't think this person was serious anyways."

"Why? Why do you believe that?"

"Did he give you proof?"

"What?"

"Did he give you proof of life, Kyra? Did you talk to them?"

"No—I—"

"Then they're fine. No one's gonna hurt them. It was just a stupid prank."

"But—he knew their names…" she protested half-heartedly. She wanted to believe Mark. She did not want to become a paranoid freak like her father.

"Well, it could have been a lucky guess. It was just a prank."

"Should I call them, just to make sure—"

"Listen, Kyra. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course—"

"Then why risk being hunted by your family over some stupid prank?"

_I can't let him find me. I can't do that…_

"Okay, I won't do anything. It probably was some jerk…"

"Exactly."

**Author's Notes:**

Finally, I finished another chapter! Some of you may remember Max Ryder being the main bad guy in _Day-to-Day_, who actually did go after Kyra in Lisa's dream in order to get to Jackson.

So, coming up, we'll see if Jackson can contact 'M. Ryder' and Kyra's big decision about ditching surveillance.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Miami – Joe's House_

The phone rang. And rang.

Finally, a recorded message with the usual disembodied electronic voice broke the silence. "You've reached 410-555-7089. Leave a message at the tone."

A beep sounded and Jackson snapped the phone shut angrily.

"Fuck," he swore before burying his face in his hands.

* * *

_Maryland – South River_

A speedboat cruised the dark waters; leaving behind choppy wakes. Only a few people were aboard and braving the night winds. Drinks were in hands as the passengers laughed and joked. A radio was cranked up and blaring trashy lyrics to a heavy beat.

A young woman with short-cropped dark hair danced to the beat. Her clothes were out of place for being on the water at night. Her abbreviated, clingy skirt and nearly see-through tank top belonged in a night club or bar or perhaps someone walking the streets in high heels.

The blonde-haired man standing beside her snagged her by the waist. She giggled as he ran his hands over her slender body. She was a little tipsy from all the alcohol she had consumed that evening. They exchanged a sloppy kiss.

Hoots and cheers rang from the other occupants of the boat.

Suddenly a loud clank sounded from the engine and the speedboat stopped dead in the water; lurching and sending the passengers shrieking and sliding around the deck.

Before anyone could recover, the high-powered engine and multiple gas tanks exploded; lighting up the night.

A fireball surrounded the destroyed boat and by the time help arrived, all that was left was a few scattered pieces of debris on the bottom of the South River.

* * *

_Miami – Joe's House_

Lisa lay curled up on the couch watching the TV. Jackson was off disposing of the assassin's body and Myra and Joe had already retired for the night. She was alone in the house with a gun resting beside her and a remote in her hand.

She could not even consider sleeping with what she had witnessed. Her husband had gone off the deep end following the failed phone call and spent hours hacking away at Robert Dowd without a second thought or the hint of a conscience. Then, drenched in blood, he had turned to her and seemed to notice her frozen form for the first time. There was no warmth or humanity left in him as he kissed her cheek before loading the body into a rental car and driving off into the night.

Three hours later, she was still in the same room; unable to leave the scene and unwilling to sleep.

The TV was her only companion. The light it flooded the room with was comforting and reassuring. Watching mundane, perfectly normal existences play out filled her with a sense of longing.

Determined to restore a sense of normality, she flipped to a news channel. She watched the various reporters discuss political issues and normal things. Then it changed to a breaking news story coming from another station. The live feed was showing boats circling a desolate stretch of river, bright lights ringing a marked off section of water.

Divers would occasionally surface and Lisa remained entranced by the footage; not hearing a word being spoken until photographs flashed on the screen.

"Believed to have been killed in the accident a few hours ago are college students Marissa Berry, Jonathan Smith, Amanda Stone, Dylan Adams, Mark Taylor, and Melanie Brennan," the reporter said as the photographs filled the screen.

"Oh God," Lisa whispered at the picture of Melanie Brennan.

It was her daughter; her Kyra.

And she was dead… her oldest daughter was dead.

_Jackson's going to kill me…_

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quick chapter. In the next chapter, Jackson hears about the explosion and makes a decision about what to do with Myra and Lisa. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eighteen**

_Miami – Joe's House_

Jackson unlocked the front door and let himself in quietly. He had returned the rental car that he had acquired with an alias and burned his bloodstained clothing. He had already cleaned up the scene before leaving a shaken Lisa sitting on the couch numbly.

She was sobbing loudly when he entered the room. When she noticed his presence, Lisa uncurled from the couch and rushed to him. She gripped his clothes tightly; trembling as the tears flowed. He half-returned the embrace and realized that the TV was on. An array of photos plastered on the screen caused his already heavy heart to sink.

A young woman with short brown hair identical to his and with his icy blue eyes smirked at him from the last photograph. If he had bothered to dig his wallet out and hold a recent photo of his Jack next to the screen—there was no doubt that the pictures would match.

He pushed away from Lisa and moved closer to the screen; completely absorbed in the news report. He touched the photograph with his fingertips; tears brimming in his hardened crystalline eyes. _No…not my Jack…not my baby girl…_

Footage of search crews filled the screen as well as the banner with the location. His daughter was in Maryland; the victim of an apparent explosion.

_Not my Jack…_

He did not want to believe that her life had been snared that way. He did not want to believe that she could have been taken away from him that cruelly. She was full of life—Jack could not be dead. No, it could not be true.

A cool hand on his shoulder. Lisa at his side, her tears wetting his shirt as she cried for their daughter.

They held each other; rocking back-and-forth in an attempt to soothe themselves. They clung to each other in their shared grief.

_

* * *

_

_The next morning…_

Myra descended the stairs cautiously. As she tip-toed past the living room, she caught sight of the TV running and her parents curled up together on the floor. Never before had she seen her father look so vulnerable or distressed as he clung tightly to her mother and she returned his grip.

She glanced at the TV, intending to flip it off when she saw the picture of the dark-haired girl. In that moment she knew exactly why her parents were lying sprawled on the hard floor clutched each other. Her sister—their father's favorite—was dead.

Turning, she raced back up the stairs and to her grandfather's bedroom. She rapped on the closed door urgently. He opened it and stared at her with bleary, sleep-clouded eyes.

"Grandpa Joe, something's happened."

"What is it Myra?" he inquired. "Is it your mother?"

She shook her head; reddish curls bouncing. "No…it's Kyra. She's dead."

"Dead? Are you sure?"

"It's on the telly. There was an explosion and she was killed. Mum and Jackson are wrecks."

"I'll be right down. Don't worry, okay? We'll sort things out together. It's probably just a mistake," Joe said nervously.

_

* * *

_

_Miami – Joe's House – Living Room_

Lisa stirred; bright light in her sore eyes. She had cried for several hours the previous night and even her normally apathetic husband had shed some tears with her. How she had even fallen asleep in the first place was a complete mystery to her.

Jackson let out a pitiful whimper in his sleep and clutched her tighter. He sounded like a child, yet he looked like a worn-out man in the midst of a terrible nightmare.

If only it was all a nightmare—Kyra's disappearance, the attack of the assassin, Jackson murdering the assassin, and now Kyra's death…

One look at Jackson's drained body confirmed that it was true. He had never held onto her like this before; needed her to be this close to him. He usually pushed her away like everyone else. The only person who he had ever seemed to truly let in was Kyra, but he had still erected barriers against her within the past two years before she left.

Now with their daughter dead, it was only a matter of time before she lost him completely. Kyra had kept them together for so long and she was gone. She would have to be a fool to think that he would get over losing her and that he would accept Myra in her place. Seeing Myra was liable to send him over the edge. Her only remaining child would be forced to bear the brunt of Jackson's anger.

"Jack? Jackie?" he whispered in his sleep. "Where are you, Jackie?"

It broke her heart to listen to him.

Lisa untangled his messy hair with her fingers and observed her husband sadly. He was frowning in his sleep and growing more agitated.

"Jack? This isn't funny anymore… where are you?"

_Oh God, Jackson, wake up! Wake up!_

"Jackie…"

_Please, don't torture yourself like this! Wake up, Jackson!_

"Don't you dare touch her! Jack, are you okay?" He was pushing away from her now. "Jackie, did he hurt you?"

She watched in horror as Jackson stumbled around; fighting an invisible enemy. He was lost to her—lost in a world where Kyra was still alive.

"Don't—! No, Jack! Jack!!!!" he was sobbing now and sinking to the floor; cradling an invisible body. He was clutching their daughter and stroking her hair. "Jackie, stay with me. Stay with Daddy, baby…"

Concerned, Lisa rushed to his side and grabbed his shoulders. She shook him, screaming at him, "Snap out of it! Wake up, Jackson! WAKE UP!!!"

His eyes opened, he set his jaw, and he slapped her soundly across the face. She fell to the floor with a cry of pain and stared at him with terror-filled green eyes.

"What did you do, Lisa? What did you do? They killed her! They killed Jack! Because of _you_, she's dead!" Jackson yelled at her bitterly as she shrank away from him.

"Jackson, please…"

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me, you murderer! You killed my daughter! It's your fault that Jack's dead! You _killed my Jack_!"

"Jackson—"

He smacked her again. "Shut up, bitch! SHUT UP!!!"

Stunned, Lisa touched her red cheek and bit back a sob. _He's a monster—he's lost it. Jackson's insane…_

"Hey!" snapped Joe, entering the room as Jackson slowly began to trap Lisa in a corner. They both looked up at him; Lisa sighing in relief. "What the hell's going on?"

"My Jack's dead! It's all her fault!" he snarled, shooting her a dirty look. "Because of her coming here they killed Jack. If she'd listened to me, my baby would still be alive!"

"Fuck you, Jackson!" Lisa screamed at him angrily; her courage returning. "You're the one who left me! You're the one with a goddamn target painted on his forehead! It's _your_ fault!"

"_My fault? MY FAULT?_ Who the fuck told you to come to Miami, Leese? Huh? She was fine until you came here! I was almost to her when you called me! Because of you I couldn't find her in time!!"

She laughed at him. "That's right, blame me, Jackson. Blame me because _my_ daughter's dead!!"

"Jack was never yours! She was mine! She was my baby, my baby Jack!!"

"There's no proof that Kyra is dead!" Joe roared. "So how about you two knock it off?!"

The feuding couple paused once more to glance at the older man.

"Yeah, and do what? Sit here and twiddle our thumbs?" Jackson hissed bitterly.

Joe sighed and shook his head. "We need to make a plan. For everyone's sake, let's settle down and think. Now, have they recovered any bodies yet?"

"No."

"Is there any proof that she was onboard?"

"Well—"

"Jackson, I know you're upset," Lisa scoffed at Joe's suggestion and he continued, "but how can you best help your daughter right now? It's certainly not by sitting here screaming at Lisa."

"Why thank you, dad." She shot her father a quick half-smile and folded her arms. She glared openly at Jackson who was still quietly fuming.

"I'm going to Maryland," Jackson announced; resisting the temptation to shoot off another string of nasty remarks. "I'm going to find Jack and bring her home whether she's walking with me, I'm dragging her, or she's in a box. I'm going to find my daughter."

"Okay then…" Joe sighed softly. "Now we have a plan."

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson's really lost it. It amazing how loss can affect people. Thanks reading/reviewing! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in a few days now that I'm only working on two stories and my novel. But that is baring an influx of homework…


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nineteen**

_Maryland – Southern District Police Station_

Jackson hastily parked his BMW in an empty parking slot. He had driven like a maniac directly from the airport. He had been forced to stop for directions many times and at one of his stops—a Dunkin' Donuts located up Route 2—he had even picked up a paper detailing the accident that had claimed his beloved daughter's life. On the front page was the now-familiar photograph of her; an image he saw when he so much as blinked his weary eyes.

Sliding out of the leather seat, he snagged the newspaper, locked the automatic door locks, and straightened his suit jacket before striding into the busy police station.

He was disoriented by the rush of people at first, but then he smacked the newspaper down on the first desk he came to and startled a young blonde secretarial type. She jumped at the sound and tried to flash him a pleasant smile that failed as soon as he scowled at her.

"Who the fuck do I talk to around here about this?" he stated harshly; indicating the newspaper article.

"Well, sir, are you a member of the press?"

"No."

"Then, I'm sorry, but I—"

"I'm not here to be a newshound. I'm here about my daughter!"

"Your daughter?" She appeared to be confused and her dark colored eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Yes, my daughter! Her name is Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner and she disappeared several months ago—"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I fail to see how that has anything to do with—"

"The girl you've identified as Melanie Brennan is _my daughter_! I need to see her! I need to see my daughter! I need to know what happened to her!"

Tears were threatening to fall from his saddened and red-rimmed eyes again.

_Why the fuck can't these people understand that I'm going crazy here without her? I miss my Jack—why the fuck is that so hard to understand?!_

"Sir, what appears to be the problem?" inquired a kindly middle-aged man. He was over-weight, but impeccably dressed. He was also slightly taller than Jackson.

"My daughter—is she…is she dead?"

"And just whom might that be?"

"Melanie…Melanie Brennan," he whispered, her false name sounding foreign on his tongue.

"Come with me," the other man said, leading him deeper into the station and into a room with two uncomfortable-looking chairs and a table. It reeked of 'interrogation room', but Jackson no longer cared at this point. All that mattered anymore was finding out what had happened to Jack.

"Now, Mr…"

"Rippner. My name is Jackson Rippner."

"Okay, Mr. Rippner. Now what makes you think that your daughter is one of the young people we have discovered?"

"I saw it on the news," he said quietly, picking out an intriguing pattern on the wall behind the man's head. "I was in Miami, with my wife—she saw it on the news first—and I just had to…I have to know. I have to know what happened to my baby girl."

"Mr. Rippner, my name is Detective Brown. I'm one of the investigating officers on the case. Now is there anything you can tell me about your daughter that might help me to determine whether or not she has been found?"

Jackson reached for his well-worn wallet. He opened it and flipped to photographs of Kyra as a young girl with him and Lisa. He shoved it across the table to the detective, who stared at it curiously. "That's my baby, my Jackie," he whispered softly, gazing longingly at his happy daughter.

He watched the detective flip through the photographs, much like Joe had, and sat in silence for several long minutes.

"Mr. Rippner, what can you tell me about your daughter? What is she like?"

A faint smile crossed his tired face as he spoke of her quirks, the bond they had shared, her mischievous nature, a few scars she can gained from minor fights and the like, and other anecdotes that he could recall. Detective Brown listened patiently to him talk and when Jackson finally finished, he stood up and stared the younger man directly in the face.

"Mr. Rippner, if you could please come with me."

A knot of dread tightened in his stomach as he stood and followed the detective from the room.

* * *

_Miami – Joe's House_

Lisa was lying on the couch again, using one of Jackson's jackets as a blanket. He was not there to support her and comfort her when she needed it most and she hated him because of it. It was because of him and his damn job that they were even in this mess to begin with.

_I hate you, Jackson! I'll never forgive you if you caused this by walking around with a stick up your ass and being oblivious to the rest of us! I will leave you for good if Kyra's dead! I won't let you kill Myra too!_

Her remaining daughter stirred from her position in Joe's old, much-loved chair and came over to give her a hug.

"It's okay, mum. I'm still here," Myra whispered; knowing exactly what she needed.

_She doesn't deserve this—dealing with the loss of her sister and two bitter, feuding parents. The sooner she is away from this, the better…_

She brushed at her daughter's knotty red curls and sighed. "I know, baby, I know. I'm very lucky to have you."

* * *

_Maryland – Southern District Police Station_

Jackson stood numbly in front of the duffel that had surfaced in the wake of the wreckage. Most everything onboard had been destroyed in the explosion, but somehow the bag had been thrown clean by the blast and his daughter's identification was discovered inside.

He opened the dark blue bag and sorted through his daughter's meager belongings. There was a watertight bag mixed in with the waterlogged clothes that contained a leather journal. Or what _should have been_ a leather-bound journal. All that remained was a few scattered pages in her familiar scrawl.

He found the wallet with all the fake ids that had aided her flight from England. What he did not find was any money or any sign of her weapons.

What bothered him most was, why, several months later, would she still be carrying everything she owned in a duffel bag and why would she bring it with her on a boat?

It was all too suspicious.

**Author's Notes:**

It feels like my updates are becoming a once-a-week thing. I'm sorry about that but I go through mood swings that can either keep me from writing or help me to write and some nights I'm so bogged down with homework that I don't get a chance to even pick up a pen, let alone type a chapter out on my computer. Luckily, next week is homework-free except for the three papers, slideshow presentation, and take-home test that I have to do.

Thanks for reading/reviewing! Reviews are cherished and I often look to them for inspiration or at the very least a reason to get my ass in gear and write.

In the next chapter, there's a new--and very important--development in Mark and Kyra's relationship which will shift the story for better or worse (it depends on your POV). Until next time, enjoy!


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty**

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment_

They had retreated to the solitude of their shared apartment as soon as the boat had exploded.

Soaked to the bone and shaking, they had huddled together on a couch, trying to warm each other up. Mark had even gone as far as touching her intimately and she had abruptly rolled off and onto the floor; taking the blanket with her. He had realized his mistake and they had gone their separate directions.

Now, well over a month later, they were lying on the same couch, with her head resting on his shoulder and his right arm wrapped around her slender body.

"We've known each other how long now, Kyra?" he asked softly, his fingers lazily rubbing circles on her skin.

"It's been close to a year," she said with a smile. _And you've never left me…_

"Has it been long enough to—well for me…" he blushed. His hands and body shifted; pulling her closer to his body and then reaching towards the bottom of her tank top. His intentions were unmistakable and they both pleased her and shocked her at the same time.

She had known that they would eventually get to that point of their relationship and she had hoped that he would be the one to help her conquer her fears. But at the same time, despite how much she trusted him, she was scared to death.

"I…I don't—" Kyra said, shaking her head.

"Kyra, you're a grown woman. You should know what it feels like with someone you love and who cares about you." _Hands…hands…oh God…_

A muffled gasp escaped her lips at his touch. His mouth was on hers in an instant and his tongue even dared to dart past her chapped lips. Her blue eyes grew wide in shock and contemplated trying to escape.

Shivers of pleasure crawled up and down her spine. _Oh God, Mark… do you realize what you're doing to me?_

He reached down to slip off her shorts. She lifted her legs and then repositioned herself to sit in his lap. Mark's hands began to lift the hem of her tanks and she mumbled, "Uh no."

Their lips broke; they were panting. He cupped her chin in his hand, like her father had done to her mother numerous times, and stared at her calmly. His eyes betrayed his lust for her, but also his concern.

"Let me make love to you, Kyra. Let me chase away your demons… Please, I love you…"

_Why does this have to be so hard? I shouldn't do this…aw, fuck it!_

She nodded her acquiescence and he slipped his hands lowered, grabbed her butt, and she reflexively locked her legs around his waist. He carefully carried her down the hall into his room and laid her down on the king-size bed.

She watched him; curiosity filling her face as she began to anticipate what was coming. He removed his shirt and slowly began to pull hers up.

Kyra shivered. Mark pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. She lay there, letting him stare at her for a moment before he finished undressing himself and slipped her panties off.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly; not moving any closer for a moment.

She bit her lip and nodded vigorously. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, love," he whispered in her ear as he closed the gap and she spread her legs for him. She whimpered when he entered her and began to tremble—afraid of him.

"Ssh, I won't hurt you," he promised; stopping to relax her and calm her down before continuing.

_He's very understanding… he's not at all like my father…_

* * *

Like a thief, Kyra crept out of Mark's bed early the following morning. She longed to remain there, snuggled up beside him and to wait for him to wake, but she could not take it. She felt cheap and dirty and a bit like her father.

Jackson Rippner had always had an uncanny knack for disappearing at the worst times. And now she was stealing his habit.

She didn't deserve this wonderful mad. Their relationship was built on lies and uncertainties. She felt like scum yet she could not bring herself to tell him the truth. She could never tell.

_Yeah, "last night was amazing, by the way, did I tell you my dad kills people for a living?" That'd go over sooo well… And let's just add that he wouldn't hesitate to kill you just based on the simple fact that you slept with me…_

Kyra sighed. There was no "right way" to handle the situation between her and Mark. She would just have to improvise.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm trying to update more often, I swear. This chapter actually ended up being more of a pain-in-the-ass than I originally thought. I think I re-wrote parts of it upwards of ten times….

I really liked having Kyra almost parallel her father, because sneaking off is a very Jackson-ish move. As much as she tries to deny it, she is very much like him.

Anyways, enjoy and the next chapter should be up soon. Only five chapters to go! Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	22. Chapter Twentyone

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-one**

_Maryland – Jackson's BMW_

_Where are you, Jack? What made you do this?_

Jackson ran his hands over the duffel bag. Despite the on-going investigation, Detective Brown had released all that was left of his daughter to him. Everything except her weapons and the money he knew she had carried was sitting in the car with him.

Her entire life condensed into one small, worn bag.

_Did someone do this to you? Who hurt you, baby? Who hurt you?_

Deep inside, regardless of the overwhelming evidence, he had to believe that somehow she had escaped the explosion. He had to believe that Jack was alive.

His daughter was resourceful, intelligent and a survivor. There was no way that she would back down without a fight first. She was trained, armed, and dangerous. Jack would have been extra cautious to avoid him and anyone else on her trail

_Was this defense? Did you know I'd know you were still alive? Did you do this for me, Jackie?_

Almost on cue, his cell phone rang. He fumbled to unclip it from his belt.

"Rippner," he answered curtly; trying to control the glimmer of hope that it would Jack on the other end.

"Tell me… do you miss her?" a male voice called over the phone softly.

Jackson lifted the phone from his ear for a moment to stare at the caller id. It read 'Jack'. Someone else had his daughter's phone.

"Who are you?"

"Do you miss your daughter, Rippner? Do you miss your precious Jack?" teased the voice.

_How do you know her name? Only I call her that!_ Jackson's fury was building.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the guy who's going to kill your daughter if you don't listen to me. Well… not before I have a little… fun."

He could almost picture the smug smirk on this jerk's face.

"You sick bastard! Let Jack go! Or I'm—"

"You're going to do what, Jackson? Cry your eyes out? You can't touch me, but I sure can touch your daughter. Your perfect little angel…" he chuckled. "Well, not so 'angelic' now that she's spread her legs for me…"

"What did you do to her? What did you do to my daughter?!" Jackson was frantic and enraged. _She'd have never slept with you willingly…she knows better than that!_

He could still remember cradling his infant daughter, both of them stained with blood, as Lisa sobbed gratefully. He could remember her blue eyes lighting up when she saw him… The first time she cheerfully cried "Da!"…

_Jackie, oh baby Jack, I'm sorry. Jackie… I'm so sorry._

"Nothing bad yet."

"You sick little fuck!" His hand closed on the hilt of his knife. He was already thinking of creative ways of dealing with this stranger.

"No, Jackson, I'm the guy who fucked your Jack. That's right, Rippner—I've been fucking your daughter. Oh boy is she—"

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my Jack that way!" roared Jackson, feeling sick to his stomach.

"It's too late. You can't protect her. You failed. Do you know what happens to failures, Rippner? I know you're old now, but I suspect you still remember…"

"They die," he whispered hoarsely; a lump rising in his throat. He absentmindedly rubbed the old scar on his neck courtesy of his wife. Had his employers had their way, then both him and Lisa would have died nearly twenty years earlier.

"Exactly. Very good, Rippner."

"Where's my daughter? Where's Jack?"

"I can't tell you that," teased the stranger. "You need to agree to my demands first."

"Anything you want! Just give me back my baby! Give me back my Jack!" He could feel the tears stinging his sore eyes. Jackson was desperate.

"Your life," the voice said coldly. "You took his life all those years ago, so now I get to take yours…"

"Who? Whose life?"

"You know who."

"Where is my daughter? Let me talk to Jack—"

"Uh uh, Rippner. You don't get to talk to her. You won't get to see her until you agree to forfeit your life. You die and your daughter lives. It's as simple as that."

_Who are you? Why are doing this?_

He closed his tired eyes for a moment.

_"Daddy!" Jack screamed, the gun pressed to her temple moments before the ear-shattering sound of a gunshot…_

"Where do you want to meet me?" Jackson said softly. _I have to save her. I have to save Jack. If that means I have to die, then so be it. I won't let her get hurt because of me! I promised to protect her and I don't intend to break that promise…_

The stranger holding his daughter reeled off an address. "You've got… two hours. Better start driving," the kidnapper told him before ending the call.

_I promise, Jack. I promise! _

Jackson started the engine. The clock was ticking at time was running out for him to save his precious daughter's life—even if it was at the expense of his own.

_I could never live with myself if you died… I'll save you, Jackie… I'll save you…_

That was if she was even still alive.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm incredibly sorry about the long delay. Life took over, I stopped sleeping for a good week, and so on. The good news is that we're in the homestretch now. In two chapters, Jackson comes face-to-face with the man after his family. In the next chapter, Kyra discovers important, life-changing information. Only four chapters left! Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!

Snooze5- I'm glad you like it! Yes, Kyra is very much just like her father. Enjoy:)


	23. Chapter Twentytwo

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-two**

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment_

Fall had reached them.

Since she had moved in with Mark—and her supposed death—Kyra had become increasingly aware of his semi-obsessive nature. He was constantly checking on her and hinting at exactly what he wanted her to do/see/act/wear. It was suffocating, but whenever she was about to speak up, he'd silence her with a kiss, a touch, or a few hours spent together in bed.

Despite his occasional flaws, he was devoted and caring. If anything bothered her, he picked up on it immediately and would pester her until she cracked.

Kyra knew that her father would be absolutely livid if he knew what she was doing. If he knew about Mark, her boyfriend would be viciously murdered in under fifteen minutes with Jackson Rippner barely breaking a sweat.

_Not like he wasn't "living in sin" with mum for years…and that I wasn't the result of their little fling... Hypocrite._

She scowled at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had been the unlucky inheritor of her father's features—with one recent change. A few weeks earlier, she had bleached strands of her hair which added blonde highlights to her dark hair. The minor difference helped her distinguish herself from him.

"Kyra?" Mark called from outside the bathroom. "I'm gonna go grab something for lunch. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes."

"Fine!" she yelled back.

The front door opened and closed and she sighed in relief before digging under the cabinet. She pulled a small unopened box from the back of the cabinet from inside her box of tampons.

Her period was several weeks late. At first, it had not worried her, then she realized that the likelihood of it being late except for one major reason was slim-to-none. She had slipped out of the apartment a few days earlier to purchase the home-pregnancy kit.

Now that Mark was gone for a few minutes, she could test herself.

Several minutes later, she was pacing the small space as she waited for the results. Her small body was trembling.

_What if… it's positive? What'll we do?_

She was still only seventeen. He thought she was eighteen, but that wasn't for a few more months. She'd just be over eighteen when her baby was born if she was in fact pregnant.

Kyra grabbed the test strip when her watch beeped and slumped down to the floor immediately.

_No… it can't be…_

"Kyra? Hey, baby, where are you?" Mark said cheerfully as he unlocked the apartment door and entered; fast food bags and a drink holder in his hands.

He set the food down on the table and headed over to the bathroom. The door was still shut and it worried him. He rapped his knuckles on the door before twisting the knob and entering.

"Kyra?"

He noticed her hands move quickly in a weak attempt to hide a small object clutched in her hand as the door swung open.

She glanced up at him blankly from the floor. She was somewhere between happy and depressed—which one she was leaning more towards, he wasn't exactly sure.

"Hey," he sat down beside her. "What's wrong, baby?"

She sniffled. "I'm…" Her voice broke. "I'm…"

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything." Mark wrapped his arms around her shaking frame and pulled her against his chest. "Come on, Kyra… what's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant."

Shocked, he glanced at the object in her hand. A pregnancy test… she was pregnant…

_Unfuckingbelievable… _

"You mean…" he tried insert a bit of joy into his voice, "we're going to have a baby?"

"Yes." She smiled and turned around to face her. She bent her knees and placed a leg on either side of him to balance; wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes, we are."

"That's great news, Kyra! You're going be the most beautiful mother there ever was…" he said; raining kisses on her lips, cheeks, and neck. She giggled and he pressed her back into the floor as he climbed on top of her.

"I don't…"

"What?"

"I don't know if I want to be a mother…" she whispered softly. "My father—"

He shook his head. "Don't think about them. They obviously never cared about you. We'll be better than them."

_Especially after I silt Rippner's throat in front of his precious Jack…_

Mark shot Kyra a predator look. Her blue eyes had flicked closed for a brief moment and she missed it.

Everything was coming together—except for the one hitch in his plan. But that could be solved easily enough…

**Author's Notes:**

I'm trying my best to finish this story since I planned the end so many months ago. My target date for completion is Thursday, April 5th. This means almost daily updates on my part and completed homework. Fingers crossed that my teachers go easy on me. If I miss this date, I'll be shooting for Tuesday, April 10th. Either way, it's ending soon!

Thanks again to all my loyal readers and reviewers who have put up with the wacky updates (and lack of them) while I deal with the crisis in my life, writing a novel, and the joys of high school and AP classes. It's strange to think that around this time last year I was working _Day-to-Day_. Boy how time flies…

Enjoy… the conclusion is fast upon us! In the next chapter, Jackson returns and the identity of the man behind the madness is revealed.

Snooze5- Well, you're going to have to wait just a bit longer, but yes, there's a big ass-kicking coming soon! I'll be updating daily from now on. If my homework stays under control, that is:)


	24. Chapter Twentythree

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-three**

_Maryland – Jackson's BMW – Long Corner Rd, Mt. Airy_

He had been nearly everywhere in the whole state in the past few months since the phone call. He had started in the cities located near BWI airport, with no luck. Now his search area was widening and he was in the goddamn middle of nowhere.

Jackson turned the sleek automobile into a roundabout, a pang of homesickness filling his stomach. Back in England, roundabouts were commonplace, as were sheep. So far, all he had seen in rural Mt. Airy was cows and horses. That and the occasional chicken…

He continued on Long Corner Road, heading further northwest. He had no idea where he was going.

More pastures. Rolling green hills and fields.

But no Jack.

Frustrated, he pulled off the road, making a left onto Watkins Way. He stopped on the way up the steep hill; glancing slightly towards the yellow house on his right where five kids were playing in the front yard. The oldest, a girl, was sitting on the back of a black horse as she merrily chased her siblings around the yard. Her red-brown hair in the sunlight under her helmet reminded him of his wife.

Lisa… the only woman he had ever loved and the only woman he had left repeatedly. He watched the girl, a teenager; laugh at something her siblings did. Even a stranger's laugh reminded him of his Lisa.

He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open to the photographs. Lisa's bright green eyes and wide smile warmed him on the inside. He watched her grow from daddy's little angel into the feisty woman he had met and married. The photographs changed from just her to her and their child—their Jack. Then, their small family crowded in front of the camera and finally the addition of Myra.

Myra, who looked like Lisa and the girl in front of him riding the black horse as she chased her blonde siblings—another girl close in age and three boys. The daughter he had always taken for granted. The daughter that he had never wanted.

_Yeah, like you really wanted Jack to begin with…_ he reminded himself.

He had risked Lisa's life once to kill their child. The child that would have been their firstborn. The child he murdered with his own hands when he shoved her down the stairs leading to her apartment.

He was a killer and if Jack died, he would have the blood of two of his children on his hands along with the countless others he had ruthlessly executed.

_Ring…_

He jumped and then reached for the cell phone. "Rippner," he said harshly.

"Hello again."

"You…" he hissed. "Where's my daughter?"

A dark chuckle. "Rippner, you missed your deadline. You're lucky that your daughter convinced me to give you a second chance and to spare her life."

"Jack… what did you do to Jack?"

"Relax. She's safe—for the moment. I'm giving you one last chance to save her life. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening, asshole! Now where is she?" His knuckles were turning white as he gripped his phone tightly.

"Meet us at the following address at 7pm or Jack dies."

* * *

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment_

"Hey, baby, can you do me a favor?" Mark asked sweetly, startling Kyra. She had been engrossed in the Lisa Gardner paperback thriller she had picked up in the airport months before.

"Sure… what is it?"

She eyed him suspiciously over her book. Living in the Rippner family had made her extra cautious, even though she was starting to relax around him.

"I called your father."

"What?" Her book went flying out of her hands and she fumbled with the hem of her jeans to unsheathed her knife and aim it at his throat as he sat down beside her.

"Ssh, baby. I'm doing this for you."

"What'd you tell him?" Her voice trembled. _What the fuck were you thinking? Are you insane?_

"He thinks I've kidnapped you. Now, you're going to have to act all distraught and teary-eyed for me? Do you think you manage that?"

"Why?"

"I'm going to get him out your life—out of our lives. This way you won't have to look over your shoulder all the time. Don't you see? If he thinks that you're dead—if he sees you die then he'll never think twice."

"What makes you think that you can beat him?" Kyra was horrified at his proposal. Jackson _killed_ people for a living. Surely Mark would be no match for him, even if she was his bargaining chip. That would only incite Jackson and cause his temper to flare.

"Because I've got you. Rippner won't dare make a move with me holding onto you."

"Promise me that you won't hurt him," she whispered. Even though she was upset with her father, she couldn't bear the idea of Jackson being injured—or killed.

"I promise."

* * *

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment – 7pm_

He climbed the steps two at a time. His trusty knife was on his hip—polished to a high shine and razor sharp. He also carried a .45 caliber in a shoulder holster under his suit jacket. His lightweight bulletproof vest was on as well.

There was no telling who was waiting in this apartment and what kind of man and fire power they had.

_Please be alive, Jackie. Daddy's coming…_

He reached the door, whispered a quick prayer, and kicked it open.

Jackson pulled his gun clear of his holster and aimed it at the figures far off in the spacious apartment. "Let her go!" he called urgently.

"Dad…"

Her captor walked her into the living room, where all the light was focused. Her cheeks were stained with tears and one was red. Her hair was a wreck and her clothes ripped and bloodstained. He noticed cuts, scratches, and bruises all over her slender body as well as fear in her chilly eyes.

A gun was pressed to her head and the man with his finger on the trigger was the carbon copy of the man whose throat he had slit one night seventeen years.

Maxell Ryder had found the Rippners again.

**Author's Notes:**

And the suspense kicks up a notch! Only two more chapters and an epilogue to go! Enjoy and thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm on a daily updating kick now!

By the way, Long Corner Rd and Watkins Way do exist. Yes, there is a yellow house there and yes there is a roundabout on Long Corner Rd. Will you see those five kids playing? Probably not.


	25. Chapter Twentyfour

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-four**

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment_

He jammed the gun against Jack's head and yanked her short hair when she struggled against his iron grip.

"Dad… daddy," she whimpered. She shot him a pitiful look from across the room.

"Jack… he whispered back, freezing in place. "What happened to you?"

"It's a trap! Get out! Get out!" she shrieked urgently, only to be pistol whipped. Jack groaned as she fell to the ground dazzled. A few moments passed before Max wrenched her back to her feet.

"Let her go," Jackson growled low in his throat; his right hand slipping towards his favorite knife as he spoke. His ice-cold eyes were fixated on his precious daughter and her captor.

"I can't do that, Rippner," sneered Max. "I can't let go of your baby Jack. She's _mine_ now. She gave herself to me—willingly."

"Jack would _never_." He shook his head insistently. _Not my baby girl…_

"I think she's probably better than your wife. The funny thing is everyone wants a piece of Lisa Rippner and they all forget about your beautiful little Jack here…" Max's hand traced Jack's jaw to her throat and down to her breasts.

Rage crossed Jackson Rippner's normally calm face at the quiet plea in his daughter's blue eyes—their identical eyes. She appeared to be scared for the first time in her life. He had sworn to protect her from harm and he had failed. He'd failed miserably.

"Did you know she's gonna have my child? She's carrying my baby and he'll grow up the way I should've—with _both_ parents." Max's hand trailed lower and rested protectively over his daughter's stomach.

_No, it's a lie. She can't—she's too young…_

"What the fuck are you talking about, Maxwell?" he addressed his former partner who seemed to have only gotten younger over the years.

"Oh, the name's not Max—you killed him seventeen years ago."

"Then… who…what…?"

"Let me guess… he never bothered to tell you about his son, did he? The son who you made fatherless when you _murdered_ him! How could you do, huh? How could you slit his throat with your precious baby in your arms and your lover in the room?"

Jack whimpered in the stranger's arms. Max's son—not Max himself. Max was dead.

"You really want to know?" Jackson inquired, a sly smile crossing his face. "It's called pressing a sharp blade to their carotid and sliding the knife."

A harsh, dry laugh from the man holding his daughter hostage. "Think you're funny, do you?"

"He is funny," Jack remarked. "And a little bit too cocky, right dad?"

"Sure, Jackie," he agreed; flashing her a smile.

"Well, funny man, you do exactly as I say or you'll watch your daughter die. Does that seem funny to you?"

"Mark… don't do this…" Jack pleaded. She tried to turn her head around to glance at him. "I haven't done anything…"

"Ssh, my pet. I won't hurt you unless he forces me," the man his daughter called Mark whispered to her sweetly. Mark glared at Jackson and bitterly said, "Kick your gun over here, Rippner, and put your hands on your head."

Jack shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip as Mark's finger tightened on the trigger. _Don't hurt her!_

"Okay, okay!" he relented. He dropped the gun with a loud clang and kicked it with his foot over towards his daughter's kidnapper. He placed his hands on top of his shaggy brown hair and narrowed his icy eyes.

"Good. Now, sweetheart, I need you to pick up the gun."

While he watched, Jack sniffled, and bent down slowly to snatch the .45. Her fingers stroked the sleek metal and he could sense her eagerness. His daughter was far more proficient with guns than he ever was. Her aim had always been dead-on and he had trained her to use the very gun she now clutched from the time she was nine.

"Now," Mark's mouth lingered by her ear as he spoke. A predatory grin was plastered on his pale face. "I want you to shoot him."

"What?" Jack's voice wavered.

"Shoot him. Shoot your father or I'll shoot you."

* * *

_Maryland – Route 2 Dunkin Donuts – 7:30pm_

Lisa sipped her coffee slowly and watched as Myra devoured a disgustingly sprinkle-covered donut. That was Myra's third sugary confection in the past ten minutes. Her youngest had a tendency to act like a little girl—the direct effect of her parenting methods. While Kyra had grown up the hard way with weapons and Jackson's domineering influence, she had coddled and protected Myra from the real world.

Because of her, Myra was sensitive, emotional, and child-like at times. Kyra was a sharp contrast both in looks, action, and voice. While Myra was quiet, Kyra always had something to say—even if it was only a barb aimed at Jackson for annoyance purposes.

"Good evening, Mrs. Rippner," a voice reached her ears a split second before she felt the cold steel on her back and saw Myra's eyes open in terror. "I wouldn't move if I were you."

Her green eyes darted around the small shop looking for help. A couple was drinking their coffee and chatting amicably to their left. Two workers were behind the counter taking orders for coffee and for ice cream.

"Uh uh, Mrs. Rippner… I wouldn't try anything if I were you. You do and your husband gets a bullet in his kneecap after I shoot you in the spine and the bullet passes through you and strikes your daughter."

_You wouldn't dare…_

A quick jab in the back with the gun is all the reassurance she needed. Whoever he was, he wasn't kidding.

"Stand up slowly and grab your trash. I'm going to be no more than two steps behind you all the way out the door. Don't try _anything_."

Another stranger in casual clothes motioned her daughter from the chair opposite her, grabbed Myra by the elbow, and led her towards the double glass doors. Lisa looked around in vain for help once last time as she was pushed towards the door.

_Jackson, what have you done now?_

* * *

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment – 8pm_

"No! I won't!" she protested.

_How dare you tell me to do that?_

Kyra had spent the better part of the day preparing to meet her father. She had taken Mark's suggestions a few steps further to appear as the victim of an abusive captor—one that wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Mark had also taken the game too far in her opinion. Her scalp itched and burned from his tugging and she was sure that a bruise was forming on her temple. Soon, she'd have a nice muzzle stamp in addition to her make-up bruises and cuts.

"Kyra, sweetheart… we're gonna walk over and you're gonna put the gun to daddy's head and pull the trigger."

"NO!"

Mark whacked her sore head with the gun he held. "Do it, Kyra."

She elbowed him in the side roughly before spinning around to knee him on the right side. She was about to press her father's gun to his head when he twisted her wrist.

Kyra cried out in pain and the weapon went spinning across the floor. She heard her father's footsteps coming, but a piercing shot silenced them. A dull thud that she assumed was her father hitting the floor caused her to bite Mark's left hand.

"You insolent little bitch!" he roared, backhanding Kyra. He sent her sprawling to the floor.

She fumbled for the knife sheathed at her ankle, but he ripped the blade free before she could touch it. Kyra tried to throw herself at him, but he beat her to punch both literally and figuratively.

Mark kicked her harshly in the stomach. She screamed at the white-hot flashes of pain and clutched her abdomen as he kicked again and again.

His repeated blows had her in tears as she tried to curl up in a small ball. _Where are you, daddy? Why aren't you doing anything?_

Finally, Mark ceased and he yanked her hair. He pulled her across the floor to where Jackson lay, winded by the bullet in his chest. His chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate, but she couldn't see any blood.

_A vest… no wonder Mark wanted me to shoot him in the head._

His saddened blue eyes worriedly flicked over her and she could sense his feelings of helplessness.

As she reached out to grab her father's knife, which she could see hooked to his belt, she became aware of stomach spasms and a sudden wetness. Glancing down she saw the blood seeping through her clothes and the pain rippling through her exhausted body.

"No…" Jackson's hoarse voice caught her attention. "No… not again…"

Kyra thought his comment was strange until she remembered. Before she was born, her father had shoved Lisa down a steep flight of stairs and aborted their child. Aborted his child… just like Mark had done…

"Go clean yourself up," Mark hissed at her as she started to shake.

"You, you killed—"

"Do it now, Kyra, or I shoot your father again—this time not in a vest."

Trembling and sobbing, she shuffled towards their bedroom. There was no sense in fighting back. Mark had just proved himself to be on the same playing field as her father. Both of them were moral less.

As she walked, she heard Mark teasingly tell her father, "See, Rippner? I gave her life and I took it away."

Fifteen minutes later, after she cleaned herself up and redressed, she wandered back into the living room, where Mark sat with the two guns across from her father, who was tied firmly to a chair. Both men looked up as she entered the room, but before anyone spoke, someone pounded on the door.

"Answer it, sweetheart," Mark ordered.

_Like I have a choice…_

Kyra unlocked the door and opened it to reveal four figures standing outside.

"Mum? Myra?"

**Author's Notes:**

As promised, a long chapter. The next one is the last chapter and it'll be followed with an epilogue. Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews!


	26. Chapter Twentyfive

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twenty-five**

_Maryland – Mark's Apartment_

"Kyra? Oh, baby…" Lisa Rippner called softly as their captors urged the two remaining Rippner family members into the apartment.

"Hello mother," she said coolly.

Inside, she knew that being an uncaring bitch could potentially save all their lives. Mark was counting on her to kill Jackson—perhaps to break her?—and if he believed that was working with him, then maybe she could at least save her mother and sister. She knew that her father would gladly give his life if it allowed the rest of them to live.

_Probably why he didn't try to fight Mark and help me… plus being winded by the bullet to the vest. _

"So nice of you to finally join us, Mrs. Rippner… Myra…" Mark acknowledged, nodding to the strangers holding her mother and sister. "Kyra… take them into the other room and tie them up."

She paused. A quick glance at Jackson, his blue eyes downcast, confirmed what she had dreaded. Her father had resigned to his fate. Mark had brought the rest of her family in to watch her kill him and show that she was a traitor.

Her only option was to play along for the time being. He was testing her before he ordered her again to make the ultimate sacrifice.

"My pleasure," she replied with a twisted smirk in Jackson and Mark's direction. She could see a pile of even lengths of cut rope near the chairs.

_Aww, how thoughtful…_

"So cooperative now, aren't we, sweetheart? What made you change your mind?"

"I was just being stubborn earlier. I know better now. Besides, we can't live the life we want with him," she shot her father a dirty look, "following us can we?"

"I knew you'd come around." Mark smiled at her broadly. "Now take this."

She stared the gun he was offering to her, grip first. It would be terribly easy to shoot him right then, but there was still the two armed men holding her mother and sister. Even if she killed Mark, they would kill her family before she could turn around.

She carefully took her father's gun from him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She could tell he was pleased with her turn around.

"You understand why I killed the baby, right?" he whispered to her.

"Yes… it was for my own good. It was for us."

"That's right. Don't worry—I'll make it up to you. We can try again once we clean this mess up."

Kyra barely resisted the urge to flinch as his hand brushed against her skin and he kissed her neck.

"Make me proud," he reminded her and she closed her eyes for a brief moment.

_You can do it… you are your father's daughter after all. This should be easy._

"You know I will," she responded hauntingly before sauntering towards her mother and sister. The gun felt good in her grip; like a favorite stuffed animal or blanket.

"Come with me," she ordered the two men holding her mother and sister.

Once they were out of Mark's earshot, she heard Lisa's pleading voice behind her. "Kyra, baby, don't do this… Please don't…"

"Shut up, bitch!" snapped one of the men. She blinked her cold eyes when she heard the telltale sound of flesh smacking flesh.

"Hey! You don't touch them, got it?" she warned, turning around.

"She was—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kyra snapped and fired; a bullet catching the man in the head. She glared at the other man, who looked like he'd just pissed himself.

A satisfied smile reached her lips and she shot the other man for fun. Her sister screamed and Kyra gritted her teeth.

"Sit down and shut up and I won't shoot you too."

"Kyra… how could you? I'm your mother—" Lisa protested, wrapping her arms around Myra protectively as they regarded her with looks akin to horror.

"I wasn't talking to you, you whore. I was speaking to Myra."

Lisa's eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock. "What did you just call me?"

"You're a whore," she spat. "You're a whore who slept with the same man bent on killing you. And you wonder why I snapped? Think about it… mother."

Lisa clamped her jaw shut.

"Hands behind your backs and no tricks—or I'll shoot you both in the knees."

"Kyra…" Myra begged quietly. "Don't do this…please. I'm sorry that you're upset but this won't solve things…"

Kyra tied her younger sister's wrists together tightly with a piece of rope. "You're wrong, Myra. This will solve _everything_. Besides… he never cared about you to begin with. You should be grateful."

The younger teen's tears nearly broke her heart. It was no secret that there was no love lost between Jackson and his youngest child. Myra saddened at the very idea of their father's death was an interesting development.

"Kyra…how could you turn on us?" Lisa demanded. "Out of all of us, he loves you the most. Losing you nearly broke him."

"He never loved me." Kyra shook her head. "Jackson Rippner never loved anyone but himself."

_And I used to believe it was true…for a time I believed it. But now, now when he's about to let me kill him in hopes that we'll be spared…how could a self-centered bastard do that?_

"Please, Kyra, don't do this. You'll regret it for the rest of your life. I would too—you forget I once had to make the same choice you have to. I once had to choose to kill Jackson or to survive. I had to choose so many times…"

"And you regret that."

She tied Lisa's hands now before moving to their ankles.

"No, Kyra, I don't. No regrets. Even when I knew that they would kill me for being involved with him, I couldn't turn my back on him. Despite his faults, I love him. I love your father will all my heart. If you're going to shoot him, you might as well shoot me too."

Kyra's hardened eyes met her mother's weepy green ones. "Things aren't always as they seem, mum."

She brushed her hands on the tops of her jeans after she stood up. She reached around her sister to grab Jackson's gun. Turning her back to them, she strode out of the bedroom and into the main living area.

"Any problems?" Mark inquired; his eyebrows raised at the few splashes on blood on her.

"Just with your hired thugs. You need to find a better group of workers," she said with a sigh, before plopping down on the couch. "So, when are we going to do this thing?"

"What? You're excited about this? Are you okay, Kyra?"

"Peachy," she replied with a smirk. "Now can we hurry this up a bit? My trigger finger's itching…"

_Blood on the knife… blood on her clothes… an insatiable hunger..._

_No…_ she told herself forcefully. _I won't be like him—I won't… I'll only kill for a good reason._

"I tried to protect you…" Jackson's cracking voice came as he raised his head to look at her. "I tried my hardest to protect you, Jackie."

"You failed, Rippner. Can't you tell?" Mark remarked joyfully, motioning for Kyra to sit on his lap.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so sorry, baby…"

_I'm sorry too…I'm sorry that I have to do this…_

"Mark, could you give us a moment alone? I have some things I'd like to remind my father about," she said dryly; her voice devoid of all emotion.

"Sure, baby." He kissed her forehead. "Call me when you're ready."

She nodded her head and smirked. "This shouldn't take long."

Kyra watched him retreat to a position near the bedroom where Lisa and Myra had been stashed. She kneeled down on the floor in front of her father—blue eyes meeting blue eyes—as she clung to his gun.

"I never…never meant for this to happen, Jackie…" her father said. "I tried to save you."

"You never tried hard enough. You were never there when I needed you!" she yelled at him.

"I swore… I swore to protect you. I said I'd always protect you…"

"Yeah? What'd that last? All of two seconds?" she snorted bitterly.

"Until you left… then I tried so hard to find you, baby. My baby… my baby Jack…" his voice was low and soft.

"Really? You tried to the find illegitimate daughter that you never wanted?" Kyra laughed. "Face it—you were glad when I left. I was a pain in your ass from the time you first met me."

"No… I loved you, Jackie. I loved you just as much as I loved Lisa."

"Past tense? That means you don't love anyone anymore. Aww, you had me going until then…"

"Jack—don't do this. You do this and there's no turning back. You kill me and you won't be able to stop. You'll never stop…"

Silence fell between father and daughter.

_You're right… you were the only obstacle in my way. Only you kept me from killing. Without you…I'm doomed._

"That's enough," snapped Mark, striding over and helping her up. "It's time for you to die. Any last words, Rippner?"

"Yeah…" her father smirked broadly. "Fuck you."

Mark pushed her aside and placed his hands around Jackson's neck. "No, thanks. Your daughter's already taking care of that."

"Hey, Mark," Kyra called.

His head jerked towards her and she slowly raised the gun. Mark released her father's throat and stepped back as she aimed the gun at her father's head.

Jackson swallowed hard and she could see the round scar left by her mother almost two decades ago.

"See you in hell," she told her father; finger tightening on the trigger of his gun.

"Jack…" he tried to pled one final time.

"Fuck this!" she snarled, turning the gun to face Mark and squeezing the trigger.

Her manipulative boyfriend fell to the ground. His eyes were wide in shock as the blood flowed from his dying body and she stepped over him to head to the bedroom.

The gun was still clenched tightly in her grip as she entered the room. Lisa's eyes were wide in horror and her mother tried to shuffle herself into a position in front of Myra.

"Don't do this… please…" her mother cried; tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she shook her head sadly. "Go ahead and kill me, but promise not to kill Myra. Kill me instead…she's nothing to you."

Kyra froze. "Kill _you_?"

"You already took Jackson—don't take Myra too. Kill me instead of both of us. Don't you dare hurt her!"

She laughed. "You think—you think—?"

"I _know_! I told him to let you go and he refused. I knew you'd end up like him—I just knew it… I tried so damn hard…"

Frowning, she bent down in front of her mother and looked directly in her green eyes. "I may be like him, but I could _never_ kill him. _Never_…"

Kyra slipped a pocketknife from her back pocket and slit the bonds holding her mother and sister. Lisa immediately clung to Myra and eyed her suspiciously. _I don't blame you for not trusting me…_

She turned around and stalked back into the living room and slit Jackson's bonds. As she was helping her exhausted father up, Lisa and Myra wandered in cautiously.

"Jackson, oh Jackson!" Lisa rushed to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. He weakly returned the hug, and with Kyra's guidance, sat down on the couch.

Her mother gasped when she saw the body of Mark and blood pooling around him. "You… you weren't lying?"

"Rippner Family Rule #2: Never tell a lie."

**Author's Notes:**

Another long chapter! Only the epilogue left now… Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!

Snooze5- Yeah, I've been pretty good at hiding the development. I love twists and cliffies -- a cheap thrill, but it does make me update faster. Thanks and I'm glad you're enjoying this:)


	27. Epilogue

**Some Quality Time**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Epilogue**

_March 10th, 2026_

_Almost a year ago, I made the dumbest mistake of my life._

_I deserted my family. True, my father was being an ass—but he was a caring ass. He did truly care about me. It wasn't until after we were reunited that he told me how losing me had nearly destroyed him during his desperate search for me. _

_Loving—and killing—Mark was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I was prepared to kill my own father if it meant I could spare the lives of mum and Myra. Somewhere during my talk with him, I realized that he'd never let them live. He was too far gone to have accepted my pleas as excuses. If I stood in his way, he would've killed me too._

_Losing my baby was terrible, but it was for the best. I could have never raised a child at this age, nor would I have wanted too. I've seen first-hand how your family determines who you are and just how far a thirst for vengeance can drive you insane. I hurt the people I cared about in my quest to break free. I was secretly afraid of becoming like my father. It took holding a gun to his head for me to realize that._

_Mum and Myra will never look at me the same way again. I'd be lying if I said everything was peachy at home._

_Dad has taken over caring for me. Mum cries when she's in the same room as me and Myra runs away in fright. They saw me at my worst—my most inhuman point. They both know what I'm capable of and they can't accept it. Only dad does—he understands the compulsions and the nightmares as well. I finally told him about what happened to me and he nearly broke down crying._

_Yes, I'm eighteen years old and I can still make my assassination manager father cry._

_He's as stubborn as ever and determined that he can fix me. It's too late for him, he always tells me. But he still believes that I have part of my mother in me and that small part will redeem me._

_I think he's crazy, but so far I haven't killed anyone else._

_Each day is a step forward, and though the road is long, I'm willing to walk the path as long as he's there to support me. Without him to guide me, never judging me, I don't think I could do it. It's because of him that I've even trying._

_I can't fix the past but I can try to change the future…_

**Author's Notes:**

Several months later, I've finally reached the end of the road for _Some Quality Time_. As always, it's tough to say good-bye to my favorite OC, Kyra, but I have a feeling that when I start feeling better, there'll be some more stories about her. She's a hard character to let go because she's so like Jackson, yet she has a chance at not turning out as cold and uncaring as him.

A lot of my current issues made it into this story, but dealing with what happened to me is making it hard to focus and to write.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this story as much as I did—it's always a blast to write about Kyra—and thanks so much for all your reviews:)

Snooze5- It's scary to think that she's possible of either one, isn't it? I'm sad that I've reached the end as well, but I know I can't let these characters go... so there is a big possiblity for a sequel. Thanks so much and I'm glad you've enjoyed it:)


End file.
